


Robin's Need

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Series: Robin's Need [2]
Category: Batman Beyond, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Contest Entry, Dick & Terry - Father/Son (Biological), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Secrets, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Happening Once, Hurt/Comfort, Open Novella Contest, Open Novella Contest 2020, Romani Dick Grayson, Terry McGinnis is Batman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 24,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25267915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: The death of the first Batman sets in for Terry McGinnis - the Batman of the future as he finds himself unable to return to his own time, yet also involved in the life of the first Robin, someone he never met in the future. The path forward is definitely unsure, what with entities from different times existing at the same time and not actually making the universe implode, but there are definitely secrets Bruce never told him about. Making matters worse, there appears to be a bleed over from his now non-existent timeline, forcing him to face his past, or his own beginning as Batman on top of dealing with the first Robin.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Terry McGinnis, Dick Grayson & Wally West
Series: Robin's Need [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826191
Kudos: 19
Collections: (General) Open Novella 2020, (World) Beyond the Night (DC Comics/Batman), A Whisper to the  Dark Side, MinorFandomFest, Platonic Relationships





	1. Batman is Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own Young Justice or Batman Beyond. This is a sequel to Gotham's Need, but also one of nine Open Novella projects for 2020. I used prompt thirty-seven, "the only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once", a quote from Einstein. I'm also working with an alternative background story for Terry.

Batman was dead.

The thought echoing through Terry McGinnis' head proved mind-numbing even as a Batman from the future.

No, _the_ Batman was dead.

Terry took a deep breath, deciding he needed to organize his thoughts carefully. Somehow, he pulled himself – and the _first_ Robin – away from the bloody inferno in which _the_ Batman died. Thinking back, he likely responded to the sound of first responders arriving, his mind knowing he and Robin shouldn't remain at the scene. His eyes closed, his hands tightening into a set of fists as the adrenaline wore off.

The young Batman from the future flinched, feeling the pain in his side. He'd definitely broken something on his way down when he protected the _first_ Robin from the brunt of their fall. Terry grimaced, remembering how the child attempted running into the inferno after Batman, thus making his journey into the past pointless - somewhat. The goal of time traveling was to save _both_ Batman and Robin _because_ Gotham needed Batman, and according to the Flash he met, Batman needed Robin.

Instead, he found himself at the mercy of a tantrum thrown by the _first_ Robin, who made it quite clear he didn't like the fact Terry didn't save Batman. This tantrum was followed by a complete break down by the boy as the death of his mentor kicked in. In the back of his mind, Terry wanted to _kill_ Bruce for taking on a sidekick who was as young as the first Robin. _Being_ Batman at age sixteen was hard enough.

Still, the boy was his most pressing worry at the moment. He found himself turning slightly despite the pain in his body. The _first_ Robin sat silently in the passenger seat of the Batmobile, which was now on autopilot taking them back to the Batcave. The boy started straight forward, not moving. "Hey. Are you okay?" Robin didn't respond, making Terry let out a deep breath. "Of course not."

Taking a sigh, Terry leaned back, wondering what he would do upon arriving at the Batcave. He already struggled with his younger brother. "Ugh."

Thinking of Matt made him finally think about the fact he would likely never see his family and friends again. In this world, he didn't have a place he might call home, yet he brushed it aside remembering he needed to do _something_ about the _first_ Robin when he arrived at the Batcave. Worse, Bruce Wayne's disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed.

The Batmobile finally arrived at the entrance to the Batcave, the sound of the engines echoing off the walls. The vehicle finally pulled to a stop and the roof opened up so he might exit. Terry moved so he might exit. The young Batman from the future found his exit impeded by something hitting him in the head, making him reach up and pinch the bridge of his nose as a headache set in, adding to the pain in his side. "Bruce! Seriously!"

"I am not Master Bruce."

  



	2. Secret Identities Are a Pain

"Fuck."

His mother would honestly kill him if he cursed in front of his younger Matt, yet here he was cursing in front of the _first_ Robin. The person who hit him over the head was most certainly _not_ Bruce Wayne, but the item used was a serving tray; the man was a butler. Terry continued pinching the bridge of his nose, his teeth clenching together in frustration.

"Look."

"Who are you and where is Master Bruce? How do you know the secret identity of Batman, let alone how to get back to the Batcave?"

"Like, the Batmobile has an autopilot because Bruce can't trust anyone else to drive." Terry watched a grey eyebrow shoot up. "Oh. Who I am? Chances are, you're not going to believe me. I mean, it's kind of hard for me to believe myself?"

The no-nonsense look on the man's face didn't go away. "Are you Master Richard from the future?"

"Who? Why would you..." Terry's eyes blinked.

"You speak the way I imagine he would speak when he got older, but from your reaction, I take it you are not. I'm also a bit concerned you do not recognize that name."

Terry held up his hands in surrender. 'Look. In my time frame, Bruce is – was – I don't know how I should say he is estranged from everyone when he's dead." The man remained silent. "That didn't sound right, did it?"

"No. I must admit it does not."

He heard a sound from behind him, making him turn his head slightly, allowing him to see the first Robin stirring. The boy slipped out of the Batmobile, moving with a great deal of agility around the front of the vehicle so he now stood in front of Terry. Terry kept his hands up, unsure of what he should do. The boy glanced away, refusing to make eye contact. "Our medical equipment is over there."

"So, you can talk." Of course, Terry knew full well the boy could talk, given the chewing out he'd received from the boy earlier on. The silence which occurred after the fact, along with the listlessness was honestly worrying.

"Master Richard."

"Just – contact the league, Alfred." The boy reached up, grabbing onto Terry's arm, tugging him in the direction he said the medical equipment was in. In the process, they passed by a rather large tube – something which sat unused during his time frame. The boy caught his reaction, but the corner of his mouth twisted up slightly. "What? You've never seen a Zeta-Tube before? I'd have thought they'd be the future of transportation."

"Bruce..." Terry closed his eyes. "Look. He's kind of a recluse."

The small twist of the mouth faded away, but so did the grip Robin had on Terry's arm, allowing the Batman from the future to follow the small figure to where the medical equipment was located. Terry listened for the boy's footsteps yet heard nothing. His eyes picked up on the split toe to this particular Robin's uniform, something missing from the others. They arrived at the Batcave's medical bay – yet another reminder that this Batcave was not the one he was familiar with.

"So..." Robin glanced over his shoulder. "Where are you hurt. Besides the place Alfred clobbered you, you know." Terry's eyes blinked, making the first Robin's eyes narrow visibly despite the mask he wore. "What?"

"You don't speak like a little kid."

"I'm not a little kid."

"You certainly act like my younger brother..." Terry took a deep breath, realization hitting him hard. He shook his head, wincing as he did so. Hiding the pain in his head was definitely harder than hiding the pain in his ribs and arms.

"Just to forewarn you, hiding injuries from Alfred is a _bad_ idea. Even Bruce..." Robin stopped speaking, freezing as he did so. He eventually moved, pulling out an instant compress. Terry heard the plastic crinkle as the boy activated the first aide item before tossing it towards Terry. "You'll need to remove your mask." The boy pointed a finger at his face. "You must be feeling rather turbed at not wearing a mask like this, huh?"

"Turbed?" The smile fell at Terry's comment. He watched the boy hoist himself up onto one of the two medical beds, his small fingers clutching the edge of the bed while his mouth tightening slightly. To say he wasn't hitting it off with the first Robin was definitely an understatement. He also didn't wait for an explanation of the strange word and instead pulled the mask up, planning on placing the ice pack onto the back of his head, giving him some relief.

Terry reached below his chin and lifted the mask up, revealing first his mouth, then his nose, and finally his eyes. Movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn his head so he might see the first Robin – the look of horror on the boy's face was definitely not expected. Terry took a deep breath, his mouth opening, intending to call the boy out for thinking he looked like Bruce. He wasn't expecting...

"John."

He thought he heard Robin's voice crack, yet the fright on the boy's face was definitely evident. Terry turned so he might look Robin in the eye. "Who?"

"You... you're supposed to be dead."

"Um..." The reaction was certainly unexpected.

"I saw you die. I saw you..." Robin sucked in his breath, the panic attack the boy was going through all too obvious.

"Hey." Terry dropped the medical compress onto the bed, his arms reaching out for Robin in hopes of calming the panic attack down. He wasn't surprised when Robin attempted pushing him away; he didn't expect vomit covering the entire front of his Batsuit while Robin continued sitting on the second medical bed, his entire body trembling while Terry held onto the arms of the boy. His robin blue eyes examined the mess. "Great. Just my luck."


	3. Horrible at Everything

" _I'm fucking horrible with kids._ " Terry lifted his head up from examining the mess splattering across the front of the Batsuit to discover the first Robin looking like he'd seen a ghost. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, his mind was completely unsure of what he should do in the given situation A sudden knee to the chin answered his question, a groan escaping from his lips as he let go of the boy, stumbling backward into the other medical bed.

One arm – unfortunately, the one which hurt, grabbed onto the bed so he didn't end up on the floor. Terry turned his robin blue eyes onto Robin, who flipped off of the bed with a surprising amount of agility. Terry muttered under his breath, preparing to tussle with the kid much in the same manner he did his younger brother when he heard the voice of Alfred.

"Master Richard!"

Alfred appeared seemingly out of nowhere, his hands reaching for Robin's shoulders, steadying the young vigilante. Terry's eyes narrowed, letting out a slight sound of irritation before looking away. It still bothered him someone so young was fighting crime. He would have crossed his arms if it weren't for the vomit covering the front of the Batsuit.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself up despite the pain in his side and arm. He began unzipping the Batsuit, hoping he might get away from the smell of vomit, yet in the back of his mind, he hoped the smell might wash out. He heard Alfred approach, then the butler's voice. "Come over here and sit, Master Richard."

Glancing up, he watched Robin pull himself up onto the medical bed, this time with less enthusiasm. In fact, he couldn't help but notice a slight tremble to Robin's hands, accompanied by the young vigilante avoiding eye contact with him. The Batsuit dropped unceremoniously to the ground, allowing Terry to lift himself up onto the other medical bed, his uninjured arm lifting the instant compress to the back of his head.

Alfred turned, giving him what felt like a look of disdain. "I see my suspicions were confirmed. You do look like him."

"What?" Terry's eyes narrowed. He let out a slight huffing sound. "I do not look like Bruce."

"Master Bruce?" For some reason, Terry's statement seemed to amuse the man, who turned towards Robin. "Master Richard, I am going to get you out of your Robin uniform starting with the mask." When Alfred reached for the mask, Terry turned away almost instinctively.

He only turned back when he heard Robin speak up. "He... he looks like John."

Terry's robin blue eyes opened and closed, his jaw-dropping at seeing a pair of robin blue eyes looking back at him, yet he wasn't looking in the mirror. His eyes opened and closed, remembering how his dark hair and blue eyes made a few ask if he was Bruce's son, something which became even more irritating after he ran into the Justice League. Yet, his eyes didn't have the same color of blue as Bruce.

He felt a sudden gust in the Batcave, making his eyes close. When he opened them, he saw a man dressed in red with yellow lightning bolt markings on his uniform. The man in front of him was most definitely Flash. He lifted a finger, pointing at the man. "You."

"Oh. Did I mention I informed the Justice League you were here?" Alfred turned away from his charge.

Terry gritted his teeth together. "I believe Robin asked you to contact them." His eyes narrowed, watching the man look from him to Robin. "You're the one who told me I wouldn't be able to return to my own time, aren't you?"

"Say what?" Flash turned to look at Robin "Who the hell is this kid? Where's Batman?" It was then he realized Robin wasn't responding, resulting in his using his speed abilities to rush over to the young vigilante, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Rob?" The man turned, obviously glaring at Terry from behind the mask, something the young vigilante definitely didn't like.

"If you don't mind, I'll get Master Richard out of his uniform and put to bed. If you can see to our guest, I would appreciate it."

Flash turned so he faced Terry, his arms crossed and one-foot tapping, only glancing away when Alfred finally extracted Robin from the Batcave. He then turned to look at Terry. "So..."

"I've got nothing to say."

"Oh, really?" Flash apparently knew where things were kept in the Batcave, or he moved fast enough to find what he wanted. He also moved quickly, sticking a needle into Terry's arm and drawing his blood without a second thought.

"That seriously hurt!"

"Well, duh. You're the one who's not talking about where Batman is."

"I didn't say I wasn't going to say nothing about him. I wasn't going to say anything about myself. I _don't_ trust any of you."

"Yeah. Not surprising a future Bat wouldn't be very trusting. Where's Batman?"

"Dead. Shouldn't you be getting to the scene making sure they don't find anything that will lead to identifying Batman as Bruce Wayne? Wouldn't that put Robin's identity at risk."

"That..." Flash took a deep breath. He dashed out of the place, leaving Terry sitting on the medical med with his injuries untreated. More and more things weren't going his way.


	4. Strange Place

He found himself alone in the cold Batcave sitting on the medical bed, his arm and side injured with no way to take care of said injuries on his own. To say he was far from amused regarding the situation was an understatement, yet after waiting who knows how long, Alfred returned. "Flash has left already?"

"Yeah. I don't know when he'll be back if that's what you want to know." Terry looked at the man in the eye. "Actually, he left when I brought up the fact there might be something at the scene which might allow them to discover Batman's identity and that might negatively affect Robin."

"I see."

"Who's John?"

Alfred ignored his question, instead choosing to focus on finding the items needed to take care of Terry's injuries. "I wonder if this is a habit for yourself, just like it is for Master Bruce and Master Richard."

"You're not going to answer my question, are you?" Terry watched the man start by lifting his arm so he might wrap the injury up. The second question remained unanswered as well, Alfred instead focusing on poking Terry's injured side, assessing if there were any injured ribs before proceeding to get another instant compress before handing Terry a set of clothes. He looked down at the clothes now in his hand while the other held the compress to his ribs. "Wait. Are these Bruce's?"

"I know they'll likely be a bit baggy on you, but we can get you something else in the morning."

"That's not..." Terry didn't know how he felt about wearing a dead man's clothing.

"If you follow me, I'll show you to the guest room, though you may already know where that is."

"Who knows. The Batcave's layout certainly wasn't the same as I remember." He followed the man to the elevator and rode up to the study. His robin blue eyes widened slightly, recognizing something finally. A fire flickered in the fireplace, adding a little bit of warmth to the gloomy place. The place still wasn't home; a sigh escaped his mouth, the fact he'd never go home starting to set in. " _Why can't I go home? I wish Flash had actually taken the time to explain rather than dashing off like that, but he did have to see to – that. I wish he didn't stick me with a needle either._ "

"Well, it's nice to see you act like something is familiar."

"I'm sorry." Terry rubbed the back of his head, his robin blue eyes watching Alfred carefully. "Not for none of this being familiar, as things definitely changed between now and my time frame."

"Then you are from the future." Alfred continued leading him to the guest room.

"A future where he's alive."

"Then why are you apologizing for not being able to save him? Doesn't his death affect you as much as us?" One of Alfred's eyebrows shot up.

"What's going to happen next?"

"I don't know. The Justice League will have a thing to say about that."

"Great..."

"You've not had a good experience with them?"

"Not the ones from my timeframe. Let's just say I learned something which really turned my life upside down. I'd rather _not_ talk about it."

"Well, I am a stranger to you. However, I hope you do come to trust me, as it appears, you'll be staying with us as you don't have any other place to go." Alfred stopped in front of the door. "By the way. What is your name?"

"Terry McGinnis."

"We may have to come up with a different name for your cover story."

"Yeah... I'd appreciate it if you didn't." Terry glanced away, only turning his head back when he realized Alfred opened the door to the guest room. He glanced around, not feeling at home in the impersonalized room. Much of his personal tastes, such as music wouldn't even exist for a few years.

"We can also get necessities for you tomorrow. Is there anything particular your interested in?"

"Uh, no." Terry shoved his hands into the pockets of the baggy pants he wore. "The brands I typically use likely don't exist yet, for all I know, not that I really paid attention to that."

"Then perhaps..."

"Please don't get me the same stuff as Bruce."

"Master Richard uses pretty much the same thing."

Realization hit Terry. He turned and looked at the man. "I don't need anything expensive. I'd prefer if none of it was."

Alfred let one eyebrow raise up, yet didn't say anything but, "Have a good night, Master Terry."

"And can the Master Terry bit, please." Terry let out a sigh, before heading into the room and collapsing onto the bed. He started thinking he might get some sleep despite the strangeness of the place when someone screaming made him bolt up strait.


	5. Whelming

The sound of screaming brought on panic, his mind thinking his younger brother Matt was somehow in trouble. The unfamiliarity of the room – a room obviously not his own – made him teeter slightly, his mind struggling to process the sensory output, yet his body still reacted by sliding out of bed, his feet pushing him towards the door. In the fuzzy haze brought on by a lack of sleep, Terry wondered why Matt was at Wayne Manor with him, for the only place he frequented was Bruce's manor.

His hurting head and side didn't help his mental state.

Of course, this one looked slightly different.

Terry let his ears guide him towards the room where another yell resulted from, his hand reaching down for the doorknob. The door swung open, placing him face to face with the child with robin blue eyes, reminding him he wasn't in his own time anymore. Robin – or Richard as Alfred called him – was definitely out of sorts, yet the thought crossed Terry's mind that Robin had been out of sorts since they saw Batman engulfed in the inferno.

He also didn't like seeing Terry, his eyes darting back and forth, his Adam's apple bobbing down while one hand reached for thin air. His mouth opened and closed as if trying to seek the appropriate words. That was what he could make out regarding the boy's face.

"Um, Richard..." Terry took a deep breath, hoping his attempt at making small talk might help the current situation, not to mention make the young vigilante in front of him more at ease at his presence.

"Dick."

" _What_ did you call me?" Terry's eye twitched.

"I..." The boy's robin blue eyes blinked before his thumb went up to point at his chest. "My name. It's Dick."

Terry's mind processed what the boy said, one of his eyebrows shooting up. "Wait. You want me to call you..."

He couldn't say the word, yet the boy's eyes narrowed. "I honestly don't care how turbed you are. _That_ was what my family called me, so – well, this is just whelming, isn't it?"

"Whelming?" In the back of Terry's mind, he knew he should apologize regarding _what_ Dick wanted him to call him, yet the odd little quirks in the boy's speech definitely put him off his game. The boy took advantage of this, taking off down the hall. "Hey... get back here."

Terry was sure Dick turned his head so he might glare at him, but he found himself going after the boy. They arrived at the foyer and Dick glanced back at him again, this time the dim light from the windows showing that – yes – the boy was glaring at him. He then proceeded in jumping over the railing, making Terry rush forward, his heart beating fast. Relief rushed over him, seeing that Dick landed on the couch right below.

Of course, he had to do something stupid despite the ache in his head and side by following suit simply because he didn't like Dick's attitude towards him. He landed correctly, yet that didn't prevent the pain from that night's injuries from flaring up majorly, which in turn resulted in a string of curses slipping from his mouth.

One hand shot up to touch his head while he let himself slide down into a sitting position. A burst of laughter made him glance over at Dick, who obviously found the situation funny. The boy practically fell out of the couch onto the floor. "Seriously? You don't want to call me Dick, yet you just cursed enough to get Alfred to wash your mouth out with soap!"

Terry glared at the boy, his eyes narrowing. He wanted to snark back, almost did so, when the laughter turned to tears. He glanced away, feeling rather uncomfortable watching the grief poor out, though something told him that was what woke him up in the first place – a bad dream. He glanced back when the boy calmed, only to see him glaring at him.

"Look. Only a real jerk would judge you for crying when your dad just died."

"He's _not_ my dad!" The words came out with a very distinctive hiss. "Don't pretend you know what I'm going through!"

"Excuse me?"

"I saw the look on your face!" Dick's arm now covered his eyes. "You don't know what it's like to be raised by someone who's not your father!"

"Yeah, I actually do." Terry wasn't sure when he'd figured out Warren McGinnis wasn't his real father, yet in some ways, his juvenile anger a few years prior possibly stemmed from somehow knowing – that, and the divorce. He watched Dick move his arm, peering out at him, the words obviously sinking in, only for the boy to bolt. He reached out, grabbing onto Dick's wrist.

"Let go!" Dick still spoke with that slight hiss in his tone, making his displeasure with Terry quite clear.

"At least you didn't get into some major argument you can't take back a few hours before he died." Terry let go then, having said his piece. He watched Dick hurry up the foyer stairs, possibly heading back to bed. He glanced up, his own robin blue eyes catching sight of Alfred. He couldn't tell how the man felt regarding their interaction – Alfred's face giving nothing away.


	6. Relations

Waking up in the gloomy manor simply solidified how much Terry's life now stunk. He awoke when the butler knocked on the door to the guest room, letting him know it was time to wake up, which Terry found an annoyance due to the fact he really wasn't a morning person, yet the only response he gave the man was a glare aimed at the unopened door.

He stretched his muscles, before sitting up. One hand reached in under his shirt to scratch his stomach, before heading downstairs, looking for the kitchen. He passed by the dining room, pausing when he saw Dick sitting at the table, staring at the tabletop. He wondered if the young vigilante noticed him, when Dick glanced up, glaring at him. Terry let out a sigh, before heading to where he expected the kitchen to be.

He opened the door, remembering how he used to cook meals for Bruce, being the old man's so-called assistant. He rubbed the back of his head. "About last night..."

"Family is a rather sensitive subject for Master Richard."

"Are you saying I overstepped?"

"I believe you said the right thing." Alfred continued preparing the plates of food. "It is difficult to get Master Richard to open up to you when he puts up those walls of his, but the fact you look like his cousin John isn't going to help matters."

"Why did Bruce let someone so young fight crime?"

"He didn't have a choice. His ward would have gone out with or without Master Bruce's permission, but it was better that measures were taken to keep the boy safe. He also didn't want Master Richard going down the same dark path he did. From the look on your face, something about that sounds familiar to you, doesn't it?"

"Well..." Terry's eyes blinked. He rubbed the back of his head. "I kind of stole the Batsuit after my father's death to go after his killer."

"I see." Alfred held out the two plates. "Could you possibly take this into the dining room?"

Terry's eyes blinked, used to be the servant in the situation. Reluctantly, he took the food into the dining room where Dick was waiting, but when he approached the boy, he discovered that he wasn't actually looking down at the table, but a device in his hands. "Spoiled much?"

Dick glanced up, glaring at Terry as he set the food in front of him. Terry purposefully took the chair right next to the boy, knowing full well this would irritate the boy. "Don't think your words will concert me at any level."

"What's up with those weird words you're using."

"I like playing around with language. I can speak quite a few."

"Smart aleck. But then..." He'd taken in the school uniform, where it was from, and was going to say that was expected of someone who attended Gotham Academy but then stopped. "Should you be going to school today?"

"While you may not like school, I do."

"You don't think you won't bring attention to yourself?"

Dick's fingers stopped moving, his robin blue eyes looking up so he could look Terry in the eye. He seemed far from amused. He opened his mouth to say something when a gust of wind filled the room. Flash appeared, a smile on his face. "Good morning." The fact Dick now glared at someone other than himself was a relief, but even more thrilling was what Flash said next. "Nope. You're not going to school today kiddo."

"Seriously?"

"The league wants you hanging out at Mount Justice today while we take care of some things, but Alfred's already taking care of the fact you'll be missing class today." Flash continued smiling. Robin slid down in the chair, letting out a groan. "Wally's already there, waiting for you."

Terry watched the boy brighten up slightly, but he picked up his plate. "I'll ask Alfred to pack this to go, but if he'll make something for KF as well."

"Yeah. Stay out of trouble. Okay?"

"Aster."

Dick slipped from the room, while Terry looked at Flash. He pushed his food away, glaring at the man. "Let me guess, you want to interrogate me?"

"Do you think we should trust you?"

"No. If you knew my history, you wouldn't."

"Batman gave you a chance."

"I didn't give him a choice." Terry folded his arms in front of him. "In the same regard, my past makes it so I don't easily trust people."

"Well, that seems to be a typical thing for the bat family, but you definitely have the bat glare down pat."

"I really don't find that very funny."

"We ran a blood test. There was something I wanted to confirm, something I suspected when I first saw you."

"I see." Terry closed his eyes, feeling he knew where Flash was going regarding the matter. He still remembered being told by one of the league members during his time frame, yet the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach when he learned. It wasn't as if he'd not ever suspected something, yet it felt – wrong.

"Yeah. I confirmed that you're related to..."


	7. Time Travel - It's a Pain

"Uh. Yeah." Terry cracked an eye open, his mouth twisting in irritation. "I _don't_ need you to tell me I'm related to the old man."

Flash rubbed the back of his head while looking at the teenager who sat at the long dining room table with his arms crossed, glaring at the man in irritation. "Yeah, well, _that_ I wasn't expecting."

Terry's other eye snapped open, a pair of robin blue eyes blinking. "Say _what_?" His jaw clenched. "Who the _hell_ am I related to? Actually..."

His mouth clenched shut, not liking the thought the woman who raised him was also _not_ his biological parent just like Warren wasn't. His hands tightened around his pants leg. "Wait? You didn't know that the kid is...?"

One of Terry's eyes twitched. "Wait. Are you telling me that instead of just overriding the DNA of the man who raised me that she overrode the DNA of the woman who raised me with that of a _guy_?"

Flash's jaw twitched. "Say what?" He set the paper he carried down. "Where the..." The man cleared his voice, Terry suspected to avoid saying the word hell. "Seriously, where did you get the idea that someone overrode the DNA of anybody?"

"Oh, let me think. Someone, I like to call Superjerk from the Justice Jerks of my time frame thought he would run my DNA for shits and giggles and blurted out that Batman was my biological father as if he found that the most exciting thing in the world just like _someone_ from the Justice Jerks of this time did, right?"

The man answered with a groan while bringing the palm of his hand across his face in frustration. "Seriously. That still doesn't explain where the idea of you being some kind of eugenics project came from, particularly when that would mean someone would need to have gotten the DNA of both Batman and Robin."

"Medical waste."

"Seriously!" Flash moved quickly, going into a position with his palms in the air, indicating what Terry said made no sense. "I can't believe that happening given how paranoid both of them are, but did you come up with that whacked-out theory on your own?"

"No. The Green Lantern of my time did."

Flash let out a sigh. "It must have been Guy Gardner. He's... difficult."

"Um, no. The Green Lantern of my time frame. He's like, ten."

"Ten?" Flash stared at him as if Terry grew another head.

"And?"

"Did it _ever_ occur to you that, maybe, just maybe..." Flash facepalmed. "Wait. Of course, you wouldn't want to think about your mother and Bruce hooking up, though if you actually knew..."

"Say what?" Terry let out a deep breath. "Doesn't Kai-Ro's theory work better given..."

"Says the person who didn't let me finish." Flash pulled a chair away, motioning for Terry to push his uneaten food towards him. Terry continued glaring, yet complied, regretting it when the man shoved food into his mouth. "Look. While I was able to figure out who your maternal grandparents were, I haven't a clue who your mother actually is. There's a chance she won't ever exist given the fact her father's death, so..."

"Wait. What?"

Flash pointed his finger at Terry. "Bruce isn't your father. He's your grandfather, though to be honest, I am kind of hoping that she already exists, given the fact it's really creepy thinking of the kiddo getting together with a girl who's at least thirteen-years-younger than him..."

"Wait!" Terry swallowed. "Slow down."

"And what? If you'd not interrupted me I'd have told you that Grayson is your biological father, not Wayne."

"Superjerk _said_ Batman was my father. That _means_ Bruce, not that kid." Terry swallowed. "There wasn't another Batman between Bruce and me. There almost was never another Batman!"

Flash wiped his hands together, having finished the plate of food. "Are you sure about that?"

"Am I..." Terry glanced down at the tabletop in front of him, his stomach suddenly grumbling, wishing he'd not handed over his breakfast. "Check the computer on the Batsuit."

"I'll do that, though I'll use my computer if you don't mind rather than that of the League of the Batcomputer."

Terry's eyes narrowed. "I get not using the Justice Jerk's computer system, but..."

"Robin can hack both." Flash leaned back, letting out a sigh. "Technically he can hack any system he wants including my own, but at least it will be isolated for a bit unless for some reason he gets to be curious. Goodness knows there is no telling when he'll go looking for the DNA tests I ran the night before..."

"You said Batman was paranoid, so there wouldn't _be_ medical waste."

Flash let out another sigh. "Look. There is a file on the League computers, well, in case something like last night happens, so we could have identified remains if there were any left."

"Maybe he's alive."

"Not likely, but don't get the kid's hope up. Don't tell him your relation either. He doesn't need that right now. We're... we're really protective of the kid."

"You said something about everyone needing him. You called him Rob." Terry watched Flash's eyes widened. "What?"

"Okay, that definitely wasn't me."

"How can it not be you?"

"The speedster who calls Robin that is my nephew, otherwise known as Kid Flash."

"So, then you weren't the one who told me it was a one-way trip?"

"No, but knowing what I know about time, your world exists based on the existence of Batman, but by Batman dying like he did last night, you've set yourself on a timeline which branched away from your own."

"Yeah, but I potentially erased my own mother from existence."

"That..." Flash let out a sigh. "Ugh. I don't even know where to begin with the whole messing with the timeline business. I mean, there is a theory which says that, yes, if she ended up erased from existence then you would be as well, but the real reason you can't return to your time frame comes down to the fact Bruce Wayne as Batman has been erased, thus creating this alternative timeline where..."

Terry let out a groan, quite sure he wouldn't ever understand what Flash was getting at. " _I'm royally fucked no matter what is what I'm getting from this._ "

_Note - There are numerous time travel theories out there, but more importantly if I went into the actual theory/theories I'm using for this, I ultimately spoil certain aspects regarding the plot progression.  
_

_Also, for those who know the fandom it always struck me that "Epilogue" occurred when Terry McGinnis was definitely the only other person to take on the mantel, prior to the addition of Damien Wayne to the team, which in turn led to Dick Grayson becoming Batman for a brief period of time and Damien becoming his Robin  
_


	8. Whelming

He'd give anything to be just whelmed.

Robin felt like he was eight-years-old all over again, the convoluted feelings from when he saw his entire family die in front of him, spattered on the ground because someone tampered with the rigging the Flying Grayson's used, yet this time – this time it was Batman. His small hand, not bigger than his eight-year-old hand reached out for Batman – his Batman, while the second grabbed him around the waist, pulling him out the window.

They fell, the two of them, the wind rushing all around him, yet he felt so much hate for the Batman who held him back, refusing to let him go in after his Batman, his family. At that moment, he didn't care that he would die had he gone in – in fact, it never crossed his mind that diving into that fire which engulfed the building would kill him, his only thought being he needed to save _the_ Batman.

He remembered hearing the sirens, but feeling the fake Batman lift him up and over his shoulder, carrying him to the Batmobile and placing him in the seat, yet the memory felt fractured, almost as if he were outside of his own body, a buzzing in his ears caused by his mental attempts to understand the situation around him while everything blurred – blurred majorly.

He barely registered the fake Batman's attempt at getting him to communicate whether he was alright, yet even odder – the fake Batman somehow knew Bruce was Batman, the cogs in Robin's mind processing the information, along with the fact Agent A wondered if this Batman wasn't him – Dick Grayson from the future. The thought almost made his sick to his stomach, nor did he register the fact he'd left the Batmobile.

Somehow, he managed to speak, yet fake Batman pointing that out despite the fact he would have likely done the same hit a slight nerve. Worse, he struggled in reacting to the fake Batman's remark and instead led him to where they kept the medical supplies. Somehow, for some reason, he started talking to the fake Batman. They talked about Zeta tubes, and where the fake Batman was hurt. Being called a kid...

That didn't compare to seeing John Grayson staring back at him, revealed when the fake Batman pulled back his mask. His mind flashed back towards when he saw his mother, father, aunt, uncle, and John all on the floor of the circus below him, his entire body numb and not moving, dead below him, the memory frozen in his brain cells forever.

The next thing he remembered was somehow ending up in bed, Alfred fixed him a cup of hot chocolate which helped him fall asleep, yet the warm drink didn't prevent him from having nightmares – nightmares of that night his family died, mixed with nightmares of flames surrounding him. He woke up speaking in Romani, calling out for Bruce, calling him – "Tati!"

Dick found himself sitting up in his bed, in the rather large room at the manner. Instinctively, he got out of bed so he might head to Bruce's room, forgetting the reason he was having nightmares.

Batman was dead...

He found himself bumping into the fake Batman, his entire body stiffening. Normally, he'd take amusement in how Terry struggled with calling him by the name his family called him since he was small, yet....

He couldn't.

It was just whelming, everything.

He didn't _want_ to interact with the fake Batman – the fake Batman who looked so much like John, so much like family, who Alfred pondered might be the future him. He never wanted to become _the_ Batman, which in turn made his stomach churn in so many ways, yet the world simply wasn't imploding despite the fact they were the same person – yet...

Time travel was complicated. He didn't want to think about how complicated things could be, but the fake Batman – he wasn't going anywhere, nor was he backing down from _trying_ to be a part of his life. Alfred wasn't holding any punches either, purposefully sending the fake Batman there with his breakfast, one thing crossing his mind; school would provide a nice escape.

"Nope. You're not going to school today kiddo."

He'd always hated getting banned from going to school. In the back of his head, he knew other kids his age would love hearing their parents say they could skip classes for the day, yet he thrived in the social setting despite being considered an outcast because of his circus background. The circus – it didn't exactly provide the chance at an education he now got at Gotham Academy.

Still, hanging out with his best friend who was also let out of class – that wasn't so bad.

He headed towards the Batcave, debating whether he should go in his civvies or the Robin uniform. Either way, he would need to hide his face – his identity. He decided to pull on the uniform, becoming more Robin than Dick Grayson, allowing himself to meld with the identity and the mask, allowing him to put on the cheerful persona of Robin and the mask of a cheeky smile.

A yellow blur greeted him, which should have cheered him up like said sight normally did.

Instead, Robin found himself blurting out the words. "I hate him. I _really_ hate him."

"Who? Batman?" Kid Flash stood there, the corner of his mouth twisting slightly, while his arms crossed his chest. His eyes blinked, before he rushed to the other side of Robin, placing his hands on the younger vigilante's shoulders. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"What are we hurrying for!"

"The faster we get to the den area the more gaming time we'll have! Particularly since Superboy tends to use it for – um... watching static."

"You know, you could just ask him if he'll let you use the television." Robin smiled, unsure if the feeling he felt actually felt real. "I hate the fake Batman. You aren't scared of Superboy, are you?"

"Um... I'm not sure what you mean by either of those things."

"You do know the reason he puts the television on a channel which has static is to use it as white noise. I doubt he'd care what was on the television if it actually blocked out his superhearing."

"You still haven't answered what you meant by fake Batman."

Robin swallowed, _definitely_ not wanting to get into that bit of aster.


	9. Asterous

Thoughts of the fake Batman proved difficult to dislodge from his mental frame of mind even when he participated in a pass time he enjoyed – video games.

Time, though, did pass. The only real indicator of the time was the sound of the computer going off as one of the other team members entered through the Zeta Tubes. "B07 – Artemis."

"Oh." Kid Flash let out a deep breath, letting one of his hands hang down in frustration. "I'm supposed to be the one distracting you, but it seems like I need a distraction from the fact she's here."

"Not today. Please." Robin let his game controller rest in his lap. One leg hung down, while the other folded up.

Kid Flash set his controller in his lap, lifting his hands up. "Okay. Okay. Not today. No picking on Artemis."

"Excuse me?"

Robin gritted his teeth, trying to smile despite Kid Flash's blunder. He lifted his head, attempting to smile at the female member of the team. She was also in her entire uniform. Her hands were on her hips, while the blonde hair she inherited from her father cascaded behind her. "Hi, Arti!"

"Hello to you too." Of course, she didn't seem pleased to see him, which made the smile falter. "Sorry. I am glad to see you, Robin." She leaned over the back of the couch, contemplating what she saw in front of her. "That said, did the two of you _really_ play hooky from class today."

"I'm grounded. Like majorly." Robin slunk down into the couch.

Kid Flash glanced up. "Don't ask. _Really_ , don't ask."

"Fine." Artemis leaned forward further, letting her arms hang down. "Bruce Wayne's kid wasn't in school today."

Robin flinched. "And..."

"Just something I noticed. They said something about him being sick. I kind of pity..."

The computer went off thankfully, announcing two more members entering, these two returning from Happy Harbor's local high school. "B05 – Miss Martian, B06 – Superboy."

"You know, why don't we get into our civvies and go out and get stuff for making cookies with Megan? We'll get her to make..."

"Yeah. I am not letting her make cookies to give to my sick classmate. That will just make it so he'll become even more sick. I don't really know..."

Kid Flash darted around, pushing her over towards the Zeta tubes, purposefully getting her away from Robin – although Robin wasn't sure that was necessary. "You can make the cookies. You can get to _know_ him, right? Making new friends is a good thing."

Robin's eyes narrowed, not liking Kid Flash's attempt at helping him. In some ways, he felt his best friend was making a dig at him not wanting anything to do with the fake Batman, yet his friend didn't _know_ much regarding that, Robin having remained evasive when he asked. More importantly, he'd much rather Kid Flash distract him by playing more video games rather than leaving him alone to his own devices.

A bit of time passed, with no sound, leaving him board – majorly board. He headed into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator for a bottle of water, turning off the television as he did so. He took out the bottle, unscrewing the lid with one hand before typing into his computer despite knowing the league wouldn't like him hacking into his computers.

Not knowing....

He hated not knowing: not knowing what was going to happen to him, not knowing what would happen to the fake Batman, not knowing whether he should trust the fake Batman, not knowing whether there would be a funeral, not knowing whether he came to the future, not knowing what the league planned...

His finger flicked towards a particular file, his Robin faced emoji doing their thing while he waited. He took a drink of the water, setting it onto the table, his eyes reading the fact Flash did, in fact, do a DNA test the night before, taking advantage of the league's equipment. His finger hovered briefly, wondering if he really wanted to know the results of the test.

He opened and read the results.

The next thing he knew, his fist hurt, but he found himself staring at the refrigerator in the kitchen, his entire body trembling while he attempted swallowing back his frustrations. He heard someone move, his mind expecting Kid Flash to approach him. Instead, he felt a pair of rather large hands latch onto his shoulders, turning him so he would face the person, yet he didn't find himself looking the person in the face. Instead, he found himself pulled into a hug, albeit a rather awkward one.

To say he was shocked was an understatement. "SB?"

"I heard you crying."

"What? How?" Robin found himself unable to move. He hadn't realized he'd actually started crying which made the corner of his mouth twist up in disbelief. "You always have the television turned towards a channel with static because of your super hearing."

"The television was off." Superboy pushed himself away, glancing away as if he found the situation – well, uncomfortable. Robin couldn't blame him. "This is apparently what you do when a friend is hurting, so..."

Robin reached up, wiping the few tears away. "No. Thanks."

"Let me see your hand."

"W..."

"You just punched the fridge and left a dent, but you're not me."

Robin removed his glove, flexing his fingers, showing Superboy his hand was okay, not saying the gloves were made for that particular purpose.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Superboy seemed relieved he wasn't hurt.

"Do I want to..." Robin closed his mouth, his hands clenching, realization hitting him hard. "When Wally gets back, could you tell him I'm in my room? I mean, I'd talk to you about this, but..."

"It's one of those Batman things?" Superboy rubbed the back of his neck before giving Robin a smile. "Well, I honestly get that, but I appreciate the fact he wants you to be safe. I don't think I'd like something to happen to you." Superboy glanced at Robin's hand. "It isn't hurt?

"I... thanks." Robin turned, heading to his room, pulling off his mask so he could cry into the pillow on his bed. He found himself rather glad no cameras were in any of their rooms at Mount Justice. He cried good and hard, not stopping until he heard the door open. He froze, hoping the person was who he expected it to be.

"That was a rather nice dent you left in the fridge. Are you sure you're not Superman's clone or his kid?"

Robin let out a sigh of relief, rolling over onto his back, his arms spread out. "Sorry."

"Wanna tell me what's going on?"

"What's going on? Batman's dead. That's the aster of my life." Robin touched his forehead, worrying his bottom lip. He seriously hated the fake Batman right now.


	10. Fakeness

"Wow."

"I thought you already knew."

"Well, yeah, but..." Kid Flash plopped down onto the bed next to Robin, tucking his hands behind his back so he could look up at the ceiling. "It wasn't really sinking in until you said it, but definitely explains why you're in the right mood today. Man, that didn't come out at all the way I wanted it to. I mean, it was like duh!" Kid Flash flung his arm up in the air. "It's obvious that would put you into a major mood."

A silence fell over the room after that moment. He didn't know how to tell his best friend _what_ he'd learned, nor did he know what he'd do now that Batman was dead. The fake Batman definitely lingered in his mind. He wanted to stay _there_ instead of going home, yet he soon nodded off. The sound of the door opening made Robin reach for his mask in panic. Flash stood in the doorway, lifting his hands up in the air.

"It's just me. I came to see how you're doing." The door closed behind the man and Kid Flash's uncle sat down on the edge of the bed. "The Justice League has come to a decision."

"And what happened to his contingency plan regarding me?" Robin watched the man rub the back of his head. "Well?"

"None of those contingency plans factored _him_ in."

Robin's hands tightened around his legs slightly above his knees, his teeth grounding together painfully. Kid Flash looked over at his mentor. "Him? Is this the fake Batman that Robin was talking about?"

Flash let out a sigh. "He's not exactly a fake Batman, though is he?"

Robin swallowed, putting his mask back on. He wanted desperately to tell the man he knew – he knew the results of the tests Flash ran the night before. His body shook slightly, not wanting the man to know he'd already hacked into the files regarding the new Batman. Thinking of the fake Batman as the _new_ Batman made his stomach churn. Kid Flash turned his head to look at his best friend. "What does he mean by that?"

His mouth twisted, contemplating the answer carefully. Flash sighed. "He's from the future."

"Yeah. It's _really_ concerting having a future me here." In the back of Robin's mind, he felt this would hide the fact he'd actually hacked into the league's computer system and found out, but the look of relief on Flash's face indicated he felt relief. Robin rubbed the back of his head, hoping the fake smile he plastered onto his face was somewhat believable. "Look. I'm finding this rather concerting."

"Wait? You met your future self and the universe didn't implode?"

"Maybe that's the reason I'm not feeling the aster right now." Robin piped up.

"Yeah, I think this person created an alternative timeline by saving Robin."

"That doesn't make sense." Kid Flash let out a sigh in response to what his uncle said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Not unless there was something else going on, because said future self wouldn't jump into the past unless there was something in the past changed, yet even then, you'd expect the absolute complete collapse of... oh. He can't go back, can he?"

"From what I can tell, no."

Robin's eyes narrowed, his feet kicking out his feet. "I'd like to go home now if you don't mind."

Flash paused. "Oh, yeah..."

He took a few steps forward, expecting Flash to let the entire thing go.

"Look, I'm going to go with you."

Robin felt his entire body tense. "I'm _not_ a little kid!"

"I'm also aware of the fact you don't like being treated like one either." Flash tugged slightly on his cape, making it so Robin wouldn't leave even though he could easily detach the cape. "This is me being worried about someone I care about, who my nephew cares about. Plus, it means we can eat some of Alfred's food."

"Wait." Kid Flash pushed himself up off the bed. "You mean I can come too?"

"Yeah, but the two of you aren't having a sleepover. Your parents and your aunt would kill me, plus, you only get to skip out of school for one day."

Robin looked at the floor, remembering he'd missed school, like, big time. Of course, any amount of missing school was always a big time for him. He followed after Flash and Kid Flash while his best friend waved his hand at the girls who were still baking in the kitchen. In the back of his mind, he wondered what kind of mess would occur if Artemis did, in fact, decide to deliver the cookies.

Personally, he hoped she didn't.

Miss Martian noticed the three. "Oh, you're leaving."

"Well, yeah. I've got some things to talk about with Batman."

A shudder ran down Robin's spine while he gritted his teeth together while Artemis' eyes widened. Aqualad stood against a wall, watching carefully; Superboy listened to his static, probably trying not to cause yet another awkward situation between the two of them, particularly in front of _everyone_ on the team.

Obviously, though, the league or those who knew what was going on accepted _this_ Batman as _the_ Batman, which in turn made him feel nauseated. Miss Martian landed near Robin. "From the look on your face, he grounded you again. Is that what Flash is going to talk to Batman about?"

"Um, yeah." Except, the one who grounded him this time was actually _the_ Flash. He turned, heading through the Zeta tubes, knowing full well he wasn't going to enjoy what he discovered at home. A quick glance at the Batcomputer –

There was something going on in Gotham, but _that_ Batman hadn't done anything about the situation.


	11. Bleed

"Fuck."

Speaking with Flash honestly left Terry feeling as if the world might blow up at any minute, what with his talk about the complexities of time travel, let alone the fact his mother may not in this timeline exist because there was, in fact, no way Batman, aka, Bruce Wayne could achieve conceiving a child with whoever the mother of his mother was. Honestly, he didn't want to know the who or the why.

"Thirteen..." He found himself staring up at the ceiling, keeping himself occupied. "He's actually thirteen, not ten?" His mind contemplated the age gap Flash suggested. " _Maybe Grayson's a playboy just like Bruce was, and thus attracted young woman when he was in his thirties? Not so creepy, but would explain why..._ " He swallowed, wishing Warren might have talked about his real father rather than leaving him hanging, but then remembered how he negatively reacted to the man right before he died. " _Come on. He might have thought it would have caused more problems, not realizing the whole problem was not revealing it sooner._ "

Taking a deep breath, he let his fingers fly across the keyboard of the Batcomputer, finally looking up the date he'd actually arrived at. His mouth tightened. The year was 2010, but he was born in 2018. Taking a deep breath, he calculated Nightwing's age as twenty-one. " _Mom was born during the summer of 1997, meaning she's alive."_ He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing someone he loved and cared about was actually alive, yet thinking about his mother with someone honestly felt strange. He tucked his hands behind his head, staring.

" _The world might still implode._ " Another thought crossed his mind, his fingers flying across the computer, bringing up the alerts. " _Gotham will implode without a Batman._ " He found himself looking at the program which processed the information going around Gotham, letting Batman know if there was something, he might need to intervene in. In the back of his mind, sitting in the chair felt weird, the memory of Bruce monitoring his progress just the day before fresh in his mind.

"Did he know?" Terry swallowed, frustrated with not knowing. "Did mom know she was his daughter? I mean, she didn't react when he showed up." His eyes blinked. "Did she possibly take him offering me a job too easily? I mean, wasn't Bruce Wayne offering a job to some sixteen-year-old kid strange? Or was it a dream come true after I ended up in juvi?"

From nearby he heard the elevator which led from the manor down into the Batcave coming down, yet didn't pay it much attention, knowing most people wouldn't think about entering into Bruce's study and messing with the clock without permission as he did. He did finally look up when he heard a trey of food set down near him. Alfred still looked at him, almost as if with disdain.

"Thank you I guess?" Terry looked at the man.

"I'm used to serving Master Bruce and Master Richard."

"I'm usually the one making sure Bruce eats and takes his medication."

"I'm not surprised I'm not around in your future, but me not being around may have made it harder for reconciliation to occur between Master Bruce and Master Richard."

"It wasn't just him, but Batgirl as well."

"Yes. Commissioner Gordon's daughter. She attempted going vigilante on her own, much to Master Bruce and Master Richard's irritation, so Master Bruce eventually provided her with her own tool belt. You've met her?"

"She's now Commissioner Gordon but was definitely not pleased with me showing up on the scene. Had a major earful for Bruce. It was my choice."

"As it was with Robin."

Terry's head turned back to the computer, not touching the food near him.

"You can't do anything about any situation until the Flash brings your suit back. Bruce's suits aren't suitable for your build, but by the time I or Lucius Fox managed to rework the suit to fit you, you'll likely have your suit back. Plus, I don't think his suit would fit your fighting style. From the look of your suit, your style is more akin to that of Master Richard's, though to be honest, that's not surprising."

"Why?"

"You're a Grayson after all."

"I really don't know what that means."

"You weren't interested in looking up anything regarding the Grayson family?"

"I didn't think of it. It's hard enough not knowing why my parents didn't tell me who my real father was. At least with the whole DNA splicing thing I could explain to myself why, but my mom likely knew my real dad – Master Richard, as you call him, Dick as he likes to be called."

"Let Master Richard tell you about them in his own time, particularly due to the fact we don't want it slipping just yet who you are."

"It's still sinking in, who I am." He found himself sitting up, pulling up an alert while grabbing one of the sandwiches absentmindedly, quickly discovering the taste of cucumber, not that he minded. His eye blinked, his jaw-dropping slightly, his entire body tensing up at the familiar face on the video. The man on the video was muscular, with tan-colored skin. His black hair was pulled back into dreadlocks at the top of his head, while a scar ran under his left eye, but he remembered the smirk sent up to the screen before the camera was bunched by a pair of electric brass knuckles. "Shit."

"I take it you know that person?"

"He's the man who killed my dad. Well, the man who raised me." Terry's fingers flew across the keyboard, looking up the name of the man, pulling up information. His eyes opened and closed, taking in the fact the Fixx of his time frame was in fact too young. "He took a deep breath."

"You look like you saw a ghost."

Terry rubbed the back of his head. "Well, this guy's supposed to be dead. I mean, I..." Terry swallowed. "I assumed he went down with the ship when his weapon went into the controls. Could it be possible that he's alive and coming into this timeline because of the changes?"

"Possibly. Or, it's possible he never died and instead lay low, looking for the right time to make his move."

"Shit." Terry stuck the sandwich in his mouth, pulling up the address.

"It's not as if you can go out without a suit. Set the computer to gather what information it can, but the commissioner isn't likely to ask why Batman chooses to show up when he does. He might question the new suit."

"I'll say it's a new suit that I'm trying out."

"He may also notice a difference in your build."

"Then I'll stick to the shadows when I go tonight." Terry looked at the man. "Are you trying to help me out?"

"You're a part of this family."

"But you don't like me."

"I never said that. It's unfair to judge you when we've just met."

"Yeah, but you don't know how much of a screw up I was before I became Batman."

"Master Bruce and Master Richard were both in dark places before they took up the mantle, but it's why they can't put it down. That, and they know Gotham needs them."

"Yeah." Terry looked at the screen, setting it up to look for information, unsure if he was starting the computer upright.

"And, depending on the information, that will determine whether you go and visit the commissioner tonight." Alfred started walking away, pausing as he did. "I expect you to eat your lunch Master Terry, but I also expect you and Master Richard at dinner. Flash's wife is arriving by car, but he's planning on fetching Robin and Kid Flash from Mount Justice."


	12. Batcomputer

The fact _that_ Batman hadn't done anything honestly felt Robin feel nauseated. His hands brushed across the computers, shutting down the screens so Kid Flash might not see what was going on, yet his actions didn't go completely unnoticed, yet in the back of his mind, he wondered _why_ he'd kept the fact _that_ Batman hadn't done anything from his best friend. Kid flash zoomed over, looking at the computer, frowning at the screen. "Why does this new guy have the Batcomputer up and running? You'd think he'd have the common decency to hold off, given the fact _the_ Batman we all know was here just the day before."

"Don't know." In the back of his mind, Robin found himself struggling to keep his disappointment at bay, yet he turned and looked in the direction Flash took off in, watching the man pull his suit off so he now stood in his civies. "Come on you two. Iris is waiting upstairs with Alfred and the new kid."

"Kid?"

Robin took a deep breath, not wanting to say anything regarding the stranger who was now upstairs. Yet, apparently, he wasn't a stranger, but family, which made him feel even more uneasy. " _The reason he saved me and not Batman is because if I don't exist, he won't exist._ "

"Yeah. He's sixteen, but we can't exactly put him on the team, can we."

"Why not?" Kid Flash looked at his uncle, confused regarding the matter.

"Well..."

"Could we please not talk about this." Robin swallowed. "I know one of the reasons we're having this dinner tonight is because you want us to talk about stuff, but this is hard enough as it is."

"I – yeah." Flash pointed up. "I expect both of you to take the elevator, but don't take even think of taking the Batmobile for a spin. I most definitely can keep up and will find you. Plus, neither one of you wants to disappoint Iris, do you?"

Robin looked at Kid Flash, knowing full well he didn't want to disappoint the woman who reminded him of his mother. A small ache thudded in his chest before he turned and gave the man a smile. "Of course not! I promise not to do anything stupid while you're here." He continued smiling. " _Though that promise does not extend to when you're gone._ "

"Alright. Better hurry or I'll eat everything." Flash took off, not taking the elevator and going in through the front.

"Hypocrite."

"I think he was wanting me to go up with you because Aunt Iris _really_ isn't fond of our stunt of you riding piggyback when we're in civies." Kid Flash cleared his throat. "So, future you."

"Apparently."

"Weird that he's only three years older than you. That our future would be so easily effected that soon in the future."

"I guess." Robin headed over and started changing, still feeling uncomfortable regarding what was going on. He wasn't sure how he might explain the guy who was three years older was actually biologically his son yet didn't want Wally cracking jokes or poking at how weird the situation was. " _Except, it will come out eventually. I guess I'll just pretend I guessed differently later on if it does._ " He swallowed again. " _Are you really wanting to lie to your best friend._ "

Dick let out a sigh, stepping over to the elevator. Wally rushed over, grinning. "I wonder what Alfred is cooking tonight."

"I don't know." Dick took a deep breath, tucking his hands into his pockets. When they arrived upstairs, they headed straight to the dining room. The Batman from the future looked at him nervously, almost as if unsure of how he should react around him, which made him even more frustrated. " _I get it. The whole spoiler thing, but still... it's driving me nuts._ "

Wally hurried over and sat down, patting the seat next to him. Robin walked over, letting out a sigh before sitting down. He found himself looking at the table, completely frustrated with what was going on in front of him. He heard Iris and Barry take their seats and then the stranger sat down at the table, following everyone else's lead. Soon, Alfred came in with the serving cart and Dick looked up.

His eyes blinked, his mouth opening slightly at the sight of goulash, cabbage roles and _pirogo_ on the trey, but he carefully set the dishes on the table, carefully serving each person. Glancing up at the Batman from the future, he saw him fidget, as if the situation made him uncomfortable, while Barry, Iris, and Wally were used to following Alfred's leave.

Or more of Wally followed the food. He leaned over. "Are these Romani dishes?"

"Yeah. Comfort food." Except, he didn't feel comforted by the sight of the food, his eyes watching the future Batman carefully, freezing when he realized the young man was looking right at him. His eyes darted down just in time to see Alfred put a plate in front of him.

When Alfred finished, Iris spoke up. "The food looks good Alfred. Care to join us?"

Sometimes Alfred broke etiquette putting the comfort, particularly if it meant Dick might not eat alone when Bruce was stuck in the office or doing other things. More often, they ate in the kitchen together or cooked something. "I think I will tonight if at least to make sure everyone eats their fill. Please enjoy."

Letting out a sigh, Dick dug in, finding the taste of the food a definite temporary comfort, savoring every bite while his mind contemplating slipping out of the place once Wally and his family left. His robin blue eyes opened, watching the Batman from the future. He set his fork down. He almost asked him if he'd never eaten the foods before, yet held his tongue, knowing full well this would reveal _that_ stranger was in fact not the future him.

However, Wally watched the stranger carefully. "So, you've never tried these foods before?"

"Um, no. They are good though."

"Everything Alfred makes is good though."

Dick let out a laugh, remembering even Alfred did sometimes mess up when he tried a new recipe. In the back of his mind, he remembered how much time Alfred spent perfecting recipes he didn't have recipes for. Figuring out the right amounts of spices and other ingredients he watched his aunt and mother put into dishes proved quite enjoyable, yet also cathartic.

The familiar food also helped him get through what was a rather quiet dinner, nobody wanting to speak. Eventually, he and Wally were dismissed, with Wally sent downstairs to take his and Flash's suits back to their base through the Zeta Tubes.

"See you later?"

"Yeah." Wally paused, turning towards Dick. "Actually, I don't think he's the future you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he didn't know those foods. Foods you know."

"I – yeah, I noticed."

"Maybe he has Amnesia of some sort?"

"Maybe."

He watched Wally leave, before heading over to the computer. His robin blue eyes took in the fact the person the computer was monitoring struck again. Taking a deep breath, he headed over to where the uniforms were kept, changing.

Soon, he left the Batcave on his bike.


	13. Nightmare

Dinner – having to attend any of the functions Bruce Wayne attended just so the old man might make an appearance was bad enough, particularly with trying to balance school, his family life, and a girlfriend along with his duties as a Batman. In the back of Terry's mind, he expected something formal, which made him inwardly squirm. He squirmed even more, upon realizing Flash's wife was already there.

She reached out for his hand, shaking it. "I'm Iris West-Allen. The Barry is my husband and Wally is my nephew." In the back of his mind, he felt confused, given the fact Bruce was majorly serious about secret identities. "We're part of Bruce's contingency plan for Dick if anything happens to him, particularly as Batman."

"Yeah. Apparently, Superman's parents are starting to get old. Iris, this is Terry McGinnis."

He found himself stumped on what to say, particularly when he found Flash quite different from the superheroes associated with the league of his time, although he wasn't surprised when Flash brought up Superman in some kind of compacity. He turned, looking at the man taking in the man's blonde hair and blue eyes. His personality was a start contrast to Batman's.

"That, and as you may have already guessed, speedsters tend to have the opposite demeanor to the Bats, meaning they balance out each other out. More specifically our Wally balances Dick out when he gets into what they like calling a Bat Funk."

In the back of his mind, the world he saw in front of him proved a stark contrast to the dark world he came from, yet he was unsure of how to respond. "Um, about the suit."

"Oh. Hold on. Be right back." Flash dashed out, then back, placing the suit into Terry's arms, who stood there unsure what to do with the suit.

Alfred scooped it out of his arms. "I'll take this until after dinner if you don't mind."

In the back of his mind, he didn't know if he should feel relieved or not. When Dick arrived, he found himself looking the boy in the eye, taking in how similar they were – how much Dick looked almost like a reflection of his younger self. He watched everyone carefully, only taking a seat when everyone else did. He relaxed slightly when Alfred decided to eat with them, making the situation feel less formal.

"So, you've never tried these foods before?"

Terry let himself lookup. In the back of his mind, he suspected Wally was related to Iris, not Barry. "Um, no. They are good though."

Wally lifted up an eyebrow but went back to eating. Terry looked down at the food, wondering where Alfred got the idea to make such foods. Eventually, they finished and Robin headed down to the cave so that he might bid Wally farewell. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the blank spot where Alfred removed the now empty plate of food which definitely left his stomach full.

"So." He took a deep breath.

"So, the league members who know – they think you should step in and assume his role as Batman, but also assume the role of John Grayson."

Terry felt as if he were punched in the gut. "Wait."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Iris spoke up, leaning forward while the serving trey came back. Alfred poured everyone a cup of coffee, yet remained silent. "I mean, Dick isn't going to like the fact he's replacing Batman or posing as his dead cousin."

"Yeah. That is definitely going to be a problem."

"Wait..." Terry swallowed, his mind not liking the plan.

"And wouldn't John have been older than Terry is?"

"Yeah, but it's the cover we could think of. The only person in Gotham outside of our group who would know the difference is still in a coma."

Terry took a deep breath, sliding down in the chair slightly, taking a deep breath. Iris noticed. "Maybe we should discuss this later?"

"No." Terry swallowed, although he really wasn't comfortable with what was going on. "I don't want to do this. It doesn't feel right."

"See. And how would you explain the change in eye color?"

"What?" Barry's eyes blinked.

"I'm a news reporter. There are pictures of John Grayson in the newspaper. His eyes are dark. Terry's are blue."

"The accident."

"Well, that could work, but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do."

Terry picked up the cup of coffee, sipping the drink, not liking what was going on. His eyes looked around the room, only to discover Alfred was nowhere to be seen.

"It's the easiest way to explain _his_ relationship to Grayson if anyone might look. By that I mean looking, looking, and finding there is a DNA connection."

"Cousins don't share fifty percent of their DNA." Iris narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I do pay attention to your conversations."

Terry let out a sigh. Barry's mouth twisted slightly. "Okay. It's because he looks like he's related to Dick, yet we can't figure out any other way to explain his existence."

"In other words, we're stuck even if he doesn't like this?" Terry let his hands tighten around the coffee cup. His eyes narrowed. "Let me guess. This was Superjerk's idea?"

Flash rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, and Wonder Woman went along with it."

"Are those the only ones who know?"

"Those are the only ones who know. And we'll also need Robin to pull this off. Not only do we need to get him to agree to call you John, but he's the one whose going to need to reprogram the league computers to recognize you specifically as Batman.

"And what pray tell are they going to do if anyone does find out that a sixteen-year-old is pretending to be the previous Batman?" Iris piped up.

"They plan on saying it was done to protect Robin, which is honestly the only reason Wonder Woman is going along with letting a kid into the league."

"Technically, already a member despite not wanting to be and still not wanting to be."

"Ah. Dick would likely say you're not filling the aster right now." Iris smiled, making him feel at ease.

"Well, that was the point of this dinner. To talk things over."

"Yet you didn't say _anything_ to Dick while he was where." Iris folded her arms. "If you'd told me, I might have figured out a way to ease into the conversation with him, but you left me out of the loop."

"Sorry. Sorry, Iris." Barry lifted his hands into the air. "Plus, Terry needs a bit of time for this to sink in, but they're not planning on having him use the Zeta Tubes into any place the other league members might be, so it should be fine. I think."

"Well, we better be going. Alfred has all of our numbers in case there is a problem, alright?"

"I – yeah. Thanks." Terry swallowed. He then tensed up when she gently hugged him, surprised she did such a thing.

"And if you don't want to, or Dick wants to, it doesn't matter what they say." She pulled away, making him feel some level of relief.

After they left, he went down to the Batcave, figuring he would fetch the suit from Alfred once he had a game plan only to find it waiting for him on the desk in Bruce's office. His main focus was on the computer, yet he recognized things definitely weren't the way he left them. Glancing around, he noticed Robin's suit was missing, yet a quick look at the cameras in the cave proved his suspicions true.

"Alfred!


	14. Puzzle Pieces

He knew Batman's rules well, including the rule of not going in alone, yet many of the rules flew out of his head the night before when he saw the building which he and the Batman from the future were just in. In fact, if the one known as Terry hadn't grabbed him and jumped out the window, he might not be alive. None of that crossed his mind.

Instead, he felt grief from losing a man he refused to call father despite the fact he was definitely a father who fought hard not to replace his own. He felt anger at the Batman of the future for saving him instead of that man because of their blood connection. He felt anger for the Batman of the future not telling him they were related. He hated the fact Terry looked so much like John, bringing back old wounds.

In truth, if the Batman from the future really wasn't doing his job he wouldn't have hidden the files from Wally when they entered the cave. In the back of his mind, he knew he was looking for an excuse to break the rules, to go out on his own so he might take his frustrations out by capturing a criminal and ruining their plans; he knew Wally would try countering, evading, if not getting one of the adults.

Getting Flash involved meant quick work on ending his plans.

"It's just a basic surveillance and recon mission. I've done this all the time on my own, but also with the team." The words slipped out of his mouth, yet the voice in his head said, " _You never truly were alone. Batman was always a communication away, able to show up if you needed it._ " This made another thought pop into his head. " _Why then am I doing this? If I know that Batman from the future won't come_?"

Yet, looking at the information regarding the attacks, there was definitely something bothering him regarding the recent attacks – _the_ Batman, _his_ Batman would have recognized the clue on his first try, that the person in question was attacking buildings with a connection to the Wayne family. More specifically, the building was the most recent building under the name, while the second was the most recent, almost as if going back in time.

The thought of someone purposefully targeting the future Batman simply made his frustrations grow. On one side, the future Batman brought trouble to _the_ Gotham of _his_ Batman, yet on the other side, someone was attacking – someone he wasn't at all sure how to feel about, nor were they aware of what was going on.

What he did know was a possible target which would likely end up being the next target. Getting past security wasn't a problem given the fact this was a Wayne enterprise facility and he, in fact, had access to practically everything. In the back of his mind, Robin pushed back the fact Batman trusted him so much yet wouldn't be pleased with the breaking of the rules. Robin let out a sigh, leaning up against a wall, leaning to the side so he could look around the corner.

So far, there was nothing. Nothing occurred down below him, nothing waiting for him to investigate, making him wonder if he was in fact wrong. Then, the alarm went off, one of the walls of the building exploding nearby, sending debris flying every which way. Robin sucked in his breath. " _Yeah, the company's not going to like paying for that, although the insurance will pay for it. The point is, it's an unexpected cost, but Bruce isn't around to make them step back. This is majorly asterous."_

He pushed himself up slowly, sliding up the pole while keeping his eyes glued on the man with dark skin, dreadlocks, and a scar over his left eye. Mentally, he cursed himself, realizing he in effect was going after a strongman type, which would prove problematic if he ended up getting caught by one of the man's fists, which was why Batman focused on his agility and making sure he could dodge punches thrown his way.

" _Maybe this isn't something I can do on my own._ " He sucked in his breath, his mind thinking. " _It's just recon. That was the plan._ " Yet, his voice continued speaking. " _Yeah right. You wanted to take your frustrations out on someone, but you know you're not in a position to make a move without getting seen and drawing attention to yourself._ " Robin took another deep breath, listening.

"Hey, Boss." One of the flunkies spoke up.

"Yes?"

"What are we going to steal at this place?"

"I wonder. In this particular case, I'm not sure there is anything of much value that we can get our hands on without hacking."

"Don't you have that technology from the future?" a second said.

"Yes, but I'm not a hacker. As such, there is a limited function regarding what my tech can do even in this time and age. Plus, my security codes for the company don't exist until the future."

" _What the hell!"_ Robin's eyes blinked. " _I don't understand. How could someone like that end up working for Wayne Tech? He says he doesn't have any tech ability, so wouldn't that mean he was some kind of bodyguard? There's no way that Bruce would have hired someone like that, so it means someone else did. What kind of future did that Batman come from where Bruce wasn't aware of things like that in the company?_ "

Then came another thought, as the bad guys continued talking. "I'm surprised Batman hasn't shown his face."

"Boss, we're glad he's not shown his face."

" _What have I gotten myself into? The newest Batman, the Batman from the future likely knows more about this situation than I do._ " Which made him sick, thinking about how the future Batman hadn't done anything regarding the first incident, something he struggled with, his mind wondering how this person could be a part of their team. " _I mean, everyone knows how strict Batman is – how Bruce is as Batman. Is it because Bruce was no longer in the suit he went soft?_ "

Robin looked at the ceiling, letting out a sigh. " _No. We would still be there, and..._ " He swallowed, his body tensing, his eyes closing as a thought tried pushing its way forward – a truth he didn't _want_ to accept because said truth hurt. All of the puzzle pieces were there, right there in front of him, yet he didn't _want_ to mentally accept any of what was happening.

His ears picked up on the cracking sound of electricity from nearby, his small frame tensing, just before the pillar exploded and debris was sent flying around his head.


	15. Debris

Robin dodged away, hitting the ground hard, jarring his shoulder terribly. In the back of his mind, he found himself glad his hands were gloved, meaning they weren't scraped up as he hit the ground and attempted protecting himself somewhat from the fall, although they still stung slightly. His eyes closed, mentally taking the impact, then he turned his head, wanting to see what in fact attacked him.

The man with dark skin, dreadlocks, and a scar over his left eye stood there looking down at him, his knuckled pushed together. More specifically, Robin's eyes focused on the weapons in the man's hands – electrified brass knuckles. Swallowing, something told him he didn't want those gloves hitting him, but he moved to stand up, his mind wondering how he could become so oblivious to his surroundings.

The look on the man's face also spelled trouble. Narrowing his eyes, Robin knew the man quite liked the fact he'd found Batman's partner, particularly since Batman was, in fact, likely to be nearby whenever Robin was near, yet in the back of Robin's mind he found himself regretting the fact he'd not attempted acting as a partner towards the Batman from the future and instead reacted, putting his emotions in front of sensibility.

"I see I've found a little bird who needs their wings clipped."

"Well, I've heard the whole little bird thing before, but the wings being clipped – not in any recent time. Still not original."

"I don't think you have time to be mouthing off."

Robin watched the man swing down, rolling away as he did so. In the back of his mind, he knew the man was right, yet he couldn't help but be his usual self, letting out a cackling laugh while hurrying away, dodging on of the men's goons. " _Yes, going out on my own was a mistake. I just need to hold out until he gets here._ "

Because he hoped the guy he didn't like would get here and rescue him despite the fact there was still that inkling in the back of his mind that he couldn't trust the Batman from the future. His ears picked up on the sound of the crackling brass knuckles the man wore but heard one of the men who worked for this person dodge out of the man's way. "I'm curious. Why are you doing this?"

"Oh? You can't figure that on your own?"

Robin dodged a blow definitely meant for his head, yet something told him the man was carefully gauging his movements. More debris flew around the place, his head ducking down as he rolled away quite easily.

"Plus, I don't think you have time to be asking questions?"

"Well, you did mention technology from the future. What was that about?"

"Honestly, none of your business."

Robin dodged behind another pillar, moving away when another blow came his way. "I'm just curious. I'm known for being curious."

"So I heard."

"In the future, right?" More debris flew all over the place as he dodged yet another blow.

"Again, none of your business."

"Yeah, but doesn't the fact you're going back in time an indicator that you have some kind of issue with Wayne company in the future, that this is some kind of revenge? Maybe if Wayne knew what it was."

The man let out a laugh. "Revenge? No. Wayne company under the administration of Powers – I did quite well do his dirty work. Too bad for Powers that when the new Batman came on the scene Bruce Wayne ended up going and making an appearance after so many years."

Robin swallowed, wondering if the man-made the connection.

"No. This is about me making a new life of myself, but if the Batman from my timeframe is here..." The knuckles crackled with electricity yet again to close to his head for his liking. "It's to send a message. I was the first bad guy he took down, but I think he thought he killed me."

"Aster."

"Oh, yes. You're used to a Batman who doesn't kill, so that must be unsettling for you, isn't it?"

It was definitely an unsettling thought, that the future Batman changed up the rules, not really caring if he killed someone in the pursuit of justice. The future Batman – he already struggled with trusting his new partner, yet his Batman was gone along with the era of his Batman. He wasn't sure he could keep on _being_ Robin if things changed like this, which in itself was a scary thought, given the fact he loved _being_ Robin.

The idea of not having a place...

He felt the electricity course through his body before hearing it, the thoughts having distracted him from what he should be doing. His stomach hurt, yet he felt the man grab onto his throat, pulling him closer so that they now looked at each other eye to eye. A bit of spittle leaked from his mouth, his entire body trembling.

"What should I do to you? Obviously, my Batman's not here, but I certainly could mess with the mind of this era's Batman, right? I heard he went nuts when something happened to the second Robin."

" _Second Robin? Did Bruce give my title away? Or was I the one._ "

"It was Joker, but there's a reason the Joker gangs – well, Powers and I liked using them as a cover for when he needed me to kill someone. The carnage they put out – it's a wonderful mess, but should I make a mess of you?"

Robin closed his eyes, the idea of Joker getting ahold of him – while he never feared the man because his Batman was always around, there was a reason why Batman had a rule of Robin not tackling him on his own – of running and getting out of the place, getting one of the league if Batman should go down. He felt the man's hand tighten around his throat, before feeling himself pinned against the wall. His entire body tensed, waiting for another blow, for the man to choke him to death, keeping his eyes closed the entire time.

Just the one blow to the stomach hurt immensely, yet left him unable to do much – though even without the injury he suspected he wouldn't be able to do anything.


	16. The Fixx

"Alfred!"

Terry found himself standing up at that point, wondering how he'd best contact Alfred. His body still felt stiff from the night before, yet he knew in the back of his mind that Robin was in trouble. His throat tightened, while he headed back up to Bruce's study. He left the room, calling out again, hoping the butler would hear him.

"Alfred!" He walked farther down the hallway, before calling out again. "Alfred!"

"Yes, Master Terry."

Terry glared at the man, wishing he wouldn't call him that, yet there were more important things for the sixteen-year-old to worry about. His head quickly turned away. "I'm in need of my suit. Robin's gone out on his own."

"You're still injured from the night before."

"Doesn't matter. I need to go after him." Terry took a deep breath. "This is a villain from my universe, so I need to be the one to take care of the situation." He watched Alfred lift an eyebrow up. "What?"

"What exactly is your history with this particular villain, might I ask?"

He paused, looking at the old man wondering how much he should reveal, yet something told him he couldn't lie to the man. Terry took a deep breath, letting his arms across his chest. He became frustrated with how long this was taking, his mouth speeding through the explanation. "He's the person who killed – he killed the man who raised me, the person I called father my entire life."

"And..."

Terry swallowed. "I thought he was dead."

"Because you killed him?"

The questioning felt a bit odd, the reasoning behind Alfred's train of thought honestly missing him. "No. I mean, my actions led to him supposedly dying as I was fighting him when he smashed the control panel of the ship we were on."

"Do you think that will get in the way of pulling Robin out of this mess?"

For some reason, Terry felt he now knew the reason Alfred questioned him the way he did. He swallowed. "While I'd like to think I'd have things under control, I honestly can't guarantee this will be the case." Taking a deep breath, he looked the man in the eye. "If something goes wrong, do you know who to contact?"

"What information do you have about this particular villain, so I can better decide who to send if the need arises?"

"He's not a meta. Instead, he uses a weapon – electrified brass knuckles. He's also quite strong. Look, I really..." Terry narrowed his eyes. "I need to get going. I don't like thinking about what might happen to Robin if I don't hurry."

"Understood. I will fetch the suit immediately, but will help you get its communication system linked to the Batcomputer."

Mentally, Terry let out a curse regarding the fact connecting the suit would likely take time, his eyes going down to the ground, yet he couldn't argue regarding the purpose of communicating with Alfred what was going on in case he needed. This became even more true given the fact he was nowhere near the detective Bruce Wayne was and wouldn't be able to put together the clues he needed in order to find Robin.

"I'll stay by the Batcomputer so I can easily communicate with you, but I'll make sure that you are able to track Robin using your suit."

Alfred's words made Terry perk up, his eyes widening. "Wait. I can track him?" Except, this quickly soured when he realized that – well, Batman was tracking Robin. "Wait. He was tracking the kid?"

"Didn't he track you?"

"Well, yeah – he didn't trust me, nor did I blame him. I'd think that he'd..." Robin took a deep breath, realizing saying he'd think Batman would trust Robin didn't make sense in the given situation. "It's for when he goes off the rails like this?"

"I'd like to say it's not, but this wouldn't have been the first time Robin's gone off on his own like this. Thankfully, he knows better than to go after someone like Joker on his own, which is where Batman's real concerns come in – those who would use Robin to hurt Batman."

Terry swallowed, his mind contemplating this as the reason he wouldn't ever want a partner, yet he was now stuck with one. He didn't say anymore, instead choosing to follow Alfred back down to the Batcave, his body grew even tenser as he waited for Alfred to download the needed programming. He stood there, leaning up against the wall, his eyes glued on the screen. No matter how much he would argue he would never let Matt become Robin, he now had a Robin who wasn't Matt.

He didn't even begin to relax until he put the suit on, his head turning to look Alfred in the eye. "Would you be able to send the Batmobile to the location?"

"Wait. How..."

"This Batsuit can fly."

"Bruce designed himself a Batsuit which would fly?"

"Yes? Why does that sound surprising?"

"It sounds more like a suit he'd design for Master Richard."

"Why?"

"It's not my place to say. Eventually, when Master Richard is ready, he'll tell you." Alfred turned towards the computer. "I will definitely send the Batmobile there. Be aware that I am putting it into stealth mode until you need it."

"Thank you, Alfred."

He took off then into the air, aware of the fact Alfred was watching him carefully, He headed straight towards the building, the computer relaying information regarding the location where Robin was, letting him know that – yes, it was indeed the next place Mr. Fixx ended up attacking next. He hurried in through the roof area, his eyes catching sight of the man with his hands on Robin, one hand choking the boy, while the other pulled back, ready to punch Robin.

Taking a deep breath, he dived in feet first, knocking the man backward. He watched the man loosen his grip on Robin, but not enough for the Batman from the future to pull the boy away. Instead, Batman pulled back his fist, punching the man square in the face, then quickly pulled the boy away, diving slightly to the side as Mr. Fixx swung at him, using his body to protect Robin as they tumbled slightly.


	17. Asterous Crashing

He expected another punch to the gut, his breath coming in tightly.

Instead, Robin heard some kind of motor, almost as if something were flying through the air. Something made contact with the man, loosening his grip on Robin's throat. The boy opened his eyes, his mouth opening slightly upon seeing the Batman from the future having collided with Mr. Fixx, his fist now swinging right for the man's face. He struggled in saying anything so soon after the man attempted choking him, yet saw the man start to swing as the future Batman reach out for him, pulling him away.

He then felt his small body pulled into the newest Batman's arms just as a blow hit Batman in the side, making them tumble across the ground. His small arms worked on pushing the other person away while they attempted moving up. He heard the villain step closer, his voice coming closer. "I was under the impression that the Batman from my time frame hadn't made their way here, yet I see him right here. For that..."

Robin didn't wait for the man to finish what he was saying, his fingers going for the smoke capsules in his belt, quickly tossing them so they went off. He made to move on his own, yet felt a strong arm wrap around his waist, lifting him up from the ground. "Hey!" He attempted struggling against the grip as he struggled to say, "Stop!"

The person in question didn't stop, not until they'd made it a few feet away. He felt him pinned against the wall, the Batman in front of him – not his Batman – breathing in a rather ragged manner. His hands were on the boy's shoulder. "What were you thinking?"

Robin shoved his hands away. " _What was I thinking?_ " He wanted to say what he was thinking, yet he still couldn't speak quite yet after the person choked him, but his mouth did open and his facial features twisted in frustration as he glared at the Batman from the future.

"Look, could we possibly talk about whatever's bothering you after I take care of this guy? And you regain your voice?"

Robin pointed emphatically at the person down below, hoping he was able to convey the fact, " _Batman and I are a team._ " Of course, another thought crossed his mind. " _Of course, I wasn't exactly acting like a team player when I took off on my own, so I don't exactly have room for demanding he let me help._ "

He watched the Batman look away. "Look, I know that you want to help take Fixx down, but..." He paused. "You did help, by pulling that smoke bomb out allowing us to get away the first time, but I'm not sure your head is in the game. Even if it was..."

" _What? Why do you hesitate? Because you know we're family and you're not telling me._ " Robin pointed to himself, then the ground, still glaring at him.

"Matt, I don't want to argue..."

" _Who..._ " Robin felt one of his eyebrows shoot up, confusion setting in regarding why the future Batman called him Matt of all things. He tried speaking again, his eyes darting down when that Batman said that name, but his voice came out as a squeak.

"Look. This is the guy who killed the man who raised me. I don't want to see him hurt anybody else, okay." The other vigilante moved away, towards where the person he called Fixx was destroying the structure of the building, creating structural damage. Robin closed his eyes, contemplating what the Batman from the future said.

" _The man who raised him..._ " Robin swallowed, letting what really bothered him sink in. " _The test showed I'm his biological father, yet I wasn't there for him growing up. I don't understand how I could do something like that. It's not me, abandoning a kid who's mine. I mean, he's got to really hate me for that – taking off, meaning the only reason he saved me was because if I didn't exist, he wouldn't exist. I'm such..._ "

His eyes drifted down, taking in the destruction of the building. His mouth opened, his mind already calculating what was the most likely result of all the damage Fixx already caused to the building. He reached up a finger, his theory confirmed, his voice finally back despite a fact he was still very hoarse compared to how he normally spoke. "Shit."

He watched the Batman from the future get thrown into another pillar, making him physically wince. The other Batman certainly wasn't bad at fighting, yet in the back of his head he couldn't help but notice that the fighting style of the Batman from the future was more like his own fighting style then the fighting style Bruce utilized, putting him at a disadvantage – his fighting style was still raw, yet not as much of a disadvantage as Robin with his small size had.

Worse, the structure of the building was going to go soon. Pushing himself away from the wall, he thought to himself, " _I don't want to see anybody else hurt again, but he's family, meaning that's even more true. I'm tired of losing family, but what does it matter if I wasn't there for him then – I need to be there now. I don't want to lose another Batman._ "

He jumped down, landing on the ground, unnoticed by either Fixx or the Future Batman, thinking of the best way to make his move. " _Is he even hooked up to our current communication system? I mean..._ "

He flinched as the Future Batman took a punch into the gut, but almost froze upon seeing him struggle to get up. Instinct kicked in, making him dodge a couple of goons, before backflipping onto his hands so he might kick them in the face. This of course drew the attention of Fixx towards him. "Oh, good. I don't have to go looking for you. Capture that brat, so when I'm done with Batman I can..."

Robin heard the Batman from the future let out a yell, his eyes watching him get up despite the punch into his side along with the electric current, tacking Fixx into the one pillar which would bring the entire place down. " _Wait._ " He watched the Batman from the future lose it like he'd seen their Batman do when he was in trouble, yet also how he'd lost it when he himself wasn't thinking, each blow bringing more damage to the pillar. He watched it start crumbling as he delivered a few more kicks into the minions who were obviously not on the same level as Fixx. "Look out!"

He found himself diving forward, tackling the Batman from the future around the waist as the roof started caving in. Something hit his head, yet he also felt the Batman from the future shift himself so he was now shielding Robin.

  
  



	18. Fixxed

The child in front of him was, in fact, his biological father, something which Terry honestly found strange. Deep down, he didn't know how he felt regarding the person who was never in his life, yet the person in front of him was far from being the person who would effectively not be in his life, for whatever reasons he didn't yet know, or may never know. He did know he didn't want to see Fixx hurt anyone else, that this was his battle.

Of course, fighting Fixx...

In the back of his mind, Terry remembered how difficult fighting the man was before. He remembered doing a lot more dodging than hitting back, yet ultimately, the man's defeat came when his bravado got the better of him and he crashed his electrified knuckles into the control panel which in turn made the ship they were on crash. The scenario he found himself in now was completely different from then.

Getting tossed around like a ragdoll certainly wasn't enjoyable, nor was crashing into the pillar. At least, in the back of his mind, he knew the suit at least absorbed a lot of the electricity sent his way, but he found himself pulling himself up from the ground amid the mass amounts of debris that were now on the floor. He'd planned on rising up and give a few good punches and kicks to the man when Robin showed up on the ground despite the fact he insisted Robin not do so, just as a punch launched into his gut.

"Oh, good. I don't have to go looking for you. Capture that brat, so when I'm done with Batman I can..."

He lost it, his mind yet again thinking about someone going after Matt, threatening his younger brother like Fixx just threatened Robin. A switch went off, one he still struggled in controlling at times as his temper got the better of him. He pummelled the man into the pillar closest to himself and Fixx. He didn't notice the changes to the environment around him, nor the sound of something crumbling.

Instead, he felt tackle him around the waist first, which made his ears pick up on the sound of the building crumbling around him. Somehow, he managed to shift his weight around so that Robin was underneath his body instead of between him and the roof which was caving in on them. He found himself hurting slightly more than the day before. Darkness closes in around him. His eyes closed, feeling the small body underneath of him.

Taking a deep breath, he utilized the superstrength Bruce built into the suit, pushing up, hoping there wasn't too much debris above him. Somehow, he managed to push the heavy debris off himself and Robin, his eyes glued on the boy who lay below him, not moving. "Hey."

No response came, not even a breath of air. His head tilted up, looking around him, his eyes darting up to see that while the ceiling had indeed collapsed in on them, the sides of the building remained intact. In the distance, he could hear sirens, but his eyes darted over towards where Fixx went down.

Gently, he lifted Robin up and moved him to a location where more of the building wouldn't fall on him, noting the slight bruising on his temple, mentally cursing the fact he didn't think Alfred would like him returning home with an injured Robin, yet wondering how Bruce, the previous Batman, faired when he too brought home an injured sidekick; the thought of having a sidekick was honestly frightening.

"Stay here."

He stood up, heading over to where Fixx was, remembering how the man survived what he'd thought killed the man, although he wasn't sure the world he came from was in some manner negatively affected by the changes made in the now. He walked over, pulling the debris off Fixx despite his best judgment, yet going with the fact he didn't want to have the man's death on his conscious if he could help it.

He found Fixx, thankfully unconscious, and brought out the flexicuffs to place on Fixx's wrists, while his eyes looked around for his men. He walked over, intending to pull the debris off the men that might be there when he heard voices of police officers. Taking a deep breath, he headed over to where Robin was, finding himself glad when Robin let out a well-placed groan. A smile twisted onto his face and he gently hoisted the boy up onto his back and proceeded to work himself away from the scene, thinking he'd avoid the police going the way he did by taking a back way most wouldn't expect.

"What happened here?"

Everyone that is, except Commissioner Gordon. His head darted up, his eyes focused on not the Commissioner Gordon of his time, who was definitely female, but the one of this time. "Uh."

He watched the man's eyes narrow. "Well?"

"There's a man by the last name of Fixx in there, but I don't know how many were with him."

"Batman doesn't know how many men were in the place?" One of the man's eyebrows shot up, making Terry realize he'd made a mistake, but then – something made him suspect the man already knew he wasn't Batman. His eyes drifted back towards Robin, wanting to get back to the Batcave so that he might see to Robin's injuries and then his own. "I see. Robin was in danger?"

"I'd rather not say."

"You know, there are a few in Gotham who think child services should take Robin away from Batman."

Terry turned his head, his eyes glaring at the man. "Excuse me? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"If you were the real Batman, you would actually know what I mean by that. Perhaps Robin or this Agent A whom I sometimes hear them refer to can fill you in on the specifics of our relationship, but he and I tend to work together when possible, though I do admit he does prefer working on his own."

"Does it matter?"

"What?"

"Does it matter that I'm not him?" Terry glared at the man. "Gotham needs Batman, so who cares if the job gets done?"

"Would he be pleased with that?"

"To be honest, I doubt he'd be pleased with anything I did as I never could live..." He stopped, feeling he'd let to much slip. "Look. I'm definitely not the enemy, but I need to get _my_ Robin away from here."

"You shouldn't underestimate Robin." Commissioner Gordon turned and started walking away, only to briefly stop, turning his head towards him. "That's often when he goes off on the rails of Batman, but I don't think Batgirl is going to like your presence."

"You mean..." Terry bit his tongue, keeping in check the fact he knew the man's daughter was in fact Batgirl. "I've got to go." He slipped into the shadows, heading to where the Batmobile was concealed. He gently let Robin slide from his back into the second seat before getting into the driver's seat, closing the hatch. "Alfred."

"Yes, Master Terry."

"Can you bring the Batmobile home?" It felt strange calling the place which wasn't his home, home, yet he needed to get used to the fact he couldn't go back to his old life.

"Yes, Master Terry."

"And Alfred..."

"If it's about calling you, Master Terry."

"No. That's your choice I guess." He looked up at the ceiling. "I messed up tonight, so be prepared to fix us up."

"I don't think you messed up as much as you think, but the coms link was on the entire time."

"Wh..." Terry let out a sigh. "So you know that the commissioner knows? That he..."

"We'll discuss this when you get back to the cave." Except they didn't talk about it right away. Alfred focused on taking care of Robin's head injury before pulling Terry over to the Batcomputer so he might tend to the injuries of the older teen when he said, "I guess his words confirm mine and Master Bruce's suspicions."

"What..."

"That he knows this entire time who Batman is, who Robin and Batgirl are."

"What do you mean?"

"His comment regarding social services has nothing to do with them trying to take Robin away from Batman, though this isn't to say there isn't such talk."

"Then..."

"He's referring to the fact social services have tried to take Master Richard away from Master Bruce. Master Richard is a very active child even without his life as Robin. I'm sure you remember last night when he tried getting away from you."

"Yeah. He jumped from the second story down the foyer, using the couch."

"That is normal behavior for Master Richard. When they asked you to take on the role of his cousin John, it's to keep him from being taken away from this place, though Flash let me know they brought Martian Manhunter in on this, so that may not be easy. I think that was his voice of reason on the matter."

"They didn't mention anything."

"Because I think Flash brought it up after you voiced your concerns regarding Master Richard's feelings on the matter, meaning they would need an alternative situation if he were to not agree." Alfred stopped speaking, glancing over to the infirmary area. "Why don't you go check on your Robin?"


	19. Conversation

He remained vaguely aware of what went on around him, yet his mind for a bit of time didn't process the words around him. Instead, his young mind processed how much his head hurt, his eyes clamping shut from the pain, yet also because of how foolish he felt regarding the things he'd done. The fact Bruce was in fact gone also started sinking in; more importantly, his mind contemplated the fact he needed to apologize.

He remembered the older teen shielding him from the debris which fell despite the fact he'd tried being the one to save the older teen. He remembered the older teen somehow lifting the debris up off him, which was possibly a feature of the suit from the future. He'd remembered being lifted up and placed to the side, of being lifted up again and placed in the car, then on the infirmary bed where Alfred treated his head injury.

This was despite falling in and out of consciousness was something his mind registered quite clearly.

Eventually, Alfred's ministrations brought some form of relief, which made him sit up, looking toward the Batcomputer. He couldn't make out what was being said, yet purposefully headed towards the light of the computer and the direction he knew his family – minus Bruce – was in fact. He saw their heads turn towards him, but watched the Batman from the future hurry forward after Alfred said something.

Robin's eyes opened and closed, fighting back the sleep. "Hey."

"Hey?" The Batman from the future reached out, lifting him back up so he was sitting on the infirmary bed. "You shouldn't be up and about yet. I mean, you have..."

"Ahead injury?" Robin's mouth twisted into a frown. His eyes closed. "You know, you're one to talk." He watched the Batman from the future look at his own injuries, then watched the young man rub the back of his head.

"I see."

"Well, form the looks of it, I should probably call Doctor Thompson so she'll drop by in the morning?"

Robin watched the Future Batman's face twist in confusion. "Who?"

"She's my pediatrician."

"Um."

"And the doctor to Batman and Robin when things become a mess. She..." Robin looked at the ground. "She was there. Her and Commissioner Gordon. The night when his parents died. Most of her patients are in the slums though, but Wayne corporation funds her clinic and she stops by when needed. Whatever plans they have for you, she's going to be needed."

"That was an awful lot to say." He heard the Batman from the future move away, then sit on the other bed. "So, I guess we talk."

"What?"

"Didn't I say we could talk about whatever's bothering you after I took care of Fixx?"

"Doesn't mean I _want_ to talk."

"The fact you don't want to talk doesn't mean we shouldn't."

A thought crossed Robin's mind, his words switching to Romani. "Well, if you're going to insist on us talking, try.."

"Master Richard." Alfred's voice indicated that they would indeed be talking.

"Sorry Alfred."

"That said, I suggest changing into your civilian clothing, and having the conversation in the den area would be the more appropriate place for this conversation, but if you do _not_ arrive in the den area in an appropriate fashion, I will presume to look for you."

"What..."

"You have a concussion, and if you do not show, I will assume you will have passed out and I will in turn call Doctor Tompson tonight."

"Oh..." Robin felt a shudder run down his spine. "Fine. Just, don't listen in to the conversation."

"Understood."

He changed then into his civilian clothing while refusing to look the future Batman in the eye. He got into the elevator with the teen, not looking the other in the eye, knowing he'd see a reflection of himself. He worried the bottom of his lip as he heard the mechanism rumble, but they arrived upstairs, and he headed to the den area where he normally hung out with Kid Flash on the weekends.

He flopped down onto the couch, closing his eyes, his arms spreading over one of the side arms and the back. He felt the future Batman sit down on the other side of the couch. "So?" Dick said nothing, trying to block out all of the whelming emotions he felt. "Hey. This isn't easy for me either, you know."

"Why did you save me?"

"You mean when you acted like an idiot and rushed off without backup or letting Alfred know where you were going?"

One of Dick's eyes opened up, his mind pondering the older teen carefully. "Shouldn't you include yourself in that? That I should have let you know where I was going?"

"No. I'm not an adult, but I'm a complete stranger. As for why I saved you..."

"Because it was the right thing to do." Robin let both eyes open but covered the eye closest to the older teen with one hand while putting on his usual cheeky grin. "No, I mean, why did you come back into the past like you did. Why didn't you save him instead of me?"

"Why?"

"I mean, he's important to your future existing, right?" He wanted him to say it – to say that the reason he saved him was so that he might exist in the future.

"Well, yeah. But apparently, you're important to my future as well."

Dick felt his throat tighten. "Seriously. This is going _way_ over your head, isn't it?"

He watched the young man's eyes narrow. "Look, you _don't_ want to deal with me if you put me into a bad mood. You _really_ don't."

His eyes drifted down to his hands, his lungs feeling with a deep breath remembering how much he'd messed up. "Look. I was..." He twitched his thumbs together. "You probably don't think very highly of me. I mean..." In the back of his mind, alarm bells went off in Dick's head of about outright saying he knew the person in front of him was his offspring. He also felt slightly nauseated, yet he wasn't sure if this was because of the ache in his head. "What did I contribute tonight?"

There came no response from the older teen, which made Dick lookup. The look on the other older's teen was honestly infuriated him, as said teen looked obviously amused at what he said. "You think you didn't contribute anything."

Dick rolled his eyes despite the fact his head hurt, the hand closest to the older teen lifting up and flicking his fingers. "Okay. I guess I contributed a _lot_ of aster to the disaster."

The teen's mouth twisted slightly at the strange words. "That's not how I see it."

"Don't..."

"I will." The future Batman leaned forward, making it so his robin blue eyes were closer to Dick's, making the younger teen swallow. "Last time I checked, you did toss out a smoke bomb when we needed it, but didn't you try tackling me out of the way?"

"As if that did anything. You ended up protecting me instead." His eyes drifted away. "That's not how it's supposed to be."

"What..." He didn't see the look on the other teen's face, yet he did sound a bit irritated. "What is that supposed to mean? Look. I get it. You're the first Robin..."

"First?" Robin turned his head, chocking. "He _replaced_ me?"

"I..."

"That's _my_ name. I choose the name, but I had it _before_ I even knew him! How could he..." Dick felt his entire body tense up. "My mother gave me that name."

"Just like your family called you Dick of all things."

"Yes. That..." Dick took a deep breath. "Look, that's not the point."

"Look. I don't know the history of the Robin's. I really don't, but how do you know you're not the one who chooses the next Robin? I mean, I don't even know that for sure."

"That's because apparently, I wasn't there in your life." Dick now found himself looking the teen in the eye.

"What..."

"Don't what are you talking about me again! You said we'd _talk_ about what's bothering me, although there is a whole lot of what's bothering me, _that_ ranks highest."

The older teen rubbed the back of his head. "Look. Could you simply come out and say what you're trying to say."

"I know. I know you're not the future me." Dick let out a deep breath, placing his hands on his knees. "There. I said it, but..."

"How did you know?"

"Okay. Look. My friend Wally's likely figured it out already, although I'd rather pretend he didn't right now, although he's eventually going to figure that out as well."

"How?"

"How? At dinner, you slipped up by saying you weren't familiar with foods I am most definitely familiar with. Alfred worked hard to..." Dick closed his eyes, not wanting to say Alfred worked hard to get the dishes as close to how his mother and aunt made them. His jaw clenched tightly.

The older teen let out a sigh. "Okay. I'm guessing that's not where you figured it out."

"I hacked into the Justice League's computers."

"Already?" There came another sigh. "Haven't you heard the phrase curiosity killed the cat?"

"That's not the point! The only reason you saved me was because you couldn't physically exist in your world if I died, right? I mean, you told me about the person who raised you, which means I obviously wasn't in your life. Don't you hate me? I mean, why aren't you hating me for that? For walking out on you and your mom, whoever she is."

"Look..." This time there came a groan. "Could you turn and look at me." Dick didn't respond. "Please?"

"What's the point?" Dick turned, putting his cocking grin on his face, turning so he might face the person. "Well, if you want to get that off your chest then..."

"I didn't know." The words coming out of the other teen – the older teen's mouth made Dick's eyes widened.

"Wait..."

"I came because your friend – the one called Kid Flash. Well, he showed up when things started getting rather messed up and told me I needed to save Batman, but his own words said it was far more important that I saved you. I actually know diddly squat about any of the Robin's because you just don't talk to Bruce of my time about that, but until this morning I honestly thought because of Superjerk..."

"You mean Superman."

"I mean Superjerk." The other teen sighed. "Look. He told me my father – my real father, was Batman. Compared to Bruce, you're a saint in my eyes."

"Wait." Dick's eyes closed.

"And to be honest..."

"Can we pull back for a bit."

"Let me say..."

"I am never, ever going to be Batman. I don't want to be like him."

"As I said. You're a saint, but you've got a problem of blaming yourself, don't you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, you assumed you'd not done anything right, right?"

"Well..."

"But you did tonight. More importantly, I don't know any better than you do why you're not in my life. I never asked. I was too pissed off with my father for never telling me I wasn't biologically his, but for my mom – for having an affair with someone other than him."

"I wouldn't..."

"Yeah, well, my mom is the type of person not to admit she had an affair. That's how my brother Matt was born, but if she never told me, she might never have told you. Of course..." He looked at his hands. "Look. Something tells me something happened to you in both timelines, the one I'm from, and the one I went back to correct. I think you're the one holding things together."

"I doubt that."

"Let's try this again. My name is Terry McGinnis. What's yours."

Dick looked up, unsure of how to react, but then let Terry shake his hand. "My name is Richard John Grayson, but I go by the name Dick."

"Nice to meet you., though I wish it could have been on better circumstances."

"You too, I guess." The conversation was far more awkward than any conversation he had with Bruce, but then – he never and Bruce never really talked.

  
  



	20. Crumbs

He still didn't know how he felt about his biological father who – because of a time travel incident – was now younger than him by around three years, although in the back of his mind Terry thought Dick seemed much younger, particularly when the boy let loose how he felt finally. It stuck with him when he went to bed that night how much sticking around was important to Dick Grayson, yet he now found himself wondering who the Grayson family was.

Of course, during the night he found himself woken for a thorough physical examination by one Leslie Thompson, the personal physician of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, but now – apparently his own. She was an elderly lady who was a doctor, yet a crack about whether she and Alfred were dating led to her commenting about how he'd better be glad he _had_ a head injury, otherwise she'd slap him upside the head for such a comment.

His head injury apparently wasn't as bad as that of one Dick Grayson, yet he heard mumblings of time traveling offspring being just as stubborn headed as their forebearers, which made him wonder how much he had in common with Dick, let alone the family he never knew. In the back of his head, he wondered if wanting to know was some kind of insult to Warren McGinnis, yet nobody was around for him to know. He at least was given a bill of health where he could roam the manor, although Leslie insisted, he kept his arm in a sling for a few days, but avoid crime-fighting if he could.

Grayson, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky, his head injury honestly worrying her. In fact, she'd shown up during the night and made both young men go into the hospital for things like an MRI to be on the safe side, yet she kept muttering things about how having two Grayson's around might be better than one if the social services ever came looking. She apparently caught a look in his eyes as he looked at her. "Apparently you're not aware of what I mean by that?"

"I..." He looked around, wondering if the room was bugged.

"It's not bugged if that's what you're wondering. Alfred and I can, given the fact this involves one of the cities shining lights, Bruce Wayne." She let out a sigh.

"He knows. He knows exactly who I am. Well, I mean, he doesn't know who my mother is."

"Figures. He's always been a bright child. He's skipped multiple grades while he was in Bruce Wayne's care, although..." Leslie placed a finger to her mouth. "I wonder if I should be telling you that. Ask the boy to tell you about the Grayson family."

"Isn't it a sensitive subject."

"You're also a part of the Grayson family. It's something..." She looked at him. "He might be slow in telling you things, but I think with you he'll be more willing to talk about these things simply because you do have the right to know."

"I don't like looking at it that way."

"Like father, like son."

"Oh, come on. He feels like an angel compared to my own self. I mean..."

"Just keep that arm in a sling for a few days, and stay out of trouble."

Terry let out a sigh, knowing he would eventually need to bring up his stint in juvi with the people around him. Doing so would likely make it harder for everyone to trust him at first, but better that then if it would slip later on and they do not find out. As such, he found himself in the kitchen the next afternoon, resting for most of the day like Leslie ordered, though Dick apparently had it worse, given the fact he had a habit of getting himself hurt worse because he still struggled with understanding his own limits without a bit of a guiding hand.

"Alfred, can we talk?"

"I am always an open ear, Master Terry."

"I've been honest with the Flash that I'm not really someone to trust, indicating that I do have a past."

"And?"

"I did a stint in juvi."

"Now pray do tell how dark did things got when there was no Batman in your city?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well."

"I don't think that's important."

"I admit my youngest ward comes across rather saintly, but Bruce – well, you likely heard rumors regarding his public behaviors, particularly when he's younger. There are things he did which would land a child without his family connections in the juvi for the first time, but I guess the real question is, is that life behind you?"

"It," A smile spread across Terry's face. "Yeah. I was acting out because of issues at home. Looking back, I think my father – the man who raised me, he was always worried about me going down that path again, particularly when I did get into fights at school."

"You've not finished your high school education."

"Yeah, no. Education's not my strong suit."

"Or is it because nobody believed in you?"

"My dad believed in me."

"That's a parent's job though, isn't it? You can't tell me, with the fact you knew full well he wasn't your father that you wondered what kind of intelligence you inherited from your real father?"

Terry swallowed, folding his arms across his chest – well, one arm, leaning against the wall. "I don't know. I guess I did, given the fact, one of the snark ass comments I made to my dad before he died was being sarcastic that I'd be a big success like him. He wasn't a success, yet he always felt for some reason I could be one as if he knew..." His eyes narrowed. "Sometimes I thought he may have known who my real dad was but would have been more willing to tell me than my mom. I think – I think he didn't want to lose me, what with the fact he didn't know I knew and that he likely thought he was already losing me."

"Well, I personally think you should have more faith in yourself, given the fact you are a Grayson, although you don't yet understand what that means."

"Nope." His head turned away, the sound of the front door going off. "I can get that."

"I am the butler."

"I'm going mad doing nothing."

"Father like son as they say."

"It's rather unfair to use that when I know you're doing it because I don't know why you're saying that, so I can't even refute what you said." He walked to the front door, opening it. "Hell..." He didn't finish his greeting. "You're from Dick's school, aren't you?"

Standing in front of him were two girls in the Gotham Academy uniform. One of the girls – Terry swore she looked just like the girl from a rather annoying sitcom from the late seventies that Max made him binge watch just to see him cringe. He watched the girl elbow her friend in the ribs. "Hey, do you think he's related to..."

"Shut up Megan." Hearing the name from the first girl made Terry cringe, as he remembered the girl from that series was named Megan. The second girl spoke through her teeth, trying to smile at Terry while a slight blush spread across her cheeks. Her hair was blond, her eyes blue, yet despite her Caucasian features, there were also some Asian ones in there.

"Hello, Megan! This was Artemis' idea." Right there was the stupid catchphrase from that annoying show.

"Um, no. It was yours and you pushed me into this." By this, Terry guessed Artemis was referring to the delivery of cookies. Her eyes focused on his arm.

"Okay. This is Artemis Crock and I'm Megan Morse. Artemis was worried about Grayson not feeling well, and so we decided to make some cookies hoping he was starting to feel better."

" _Thank god she's not called Megan Wheeler. I don't know if she found that annoying show on her own, given the fact Max says it is popular among the girls, or if her parents forced it on her, given the fact she does look like the character, but that would make this creepiness even more creepy."_

"Um, you wouldn't happen to be Grayson's older brother?" Artemis shifted her weight nervously, still blushing, and looking at his arm.

" _Oh, great. I've got a girl from the past crushing on me, yet..._ " He was still in his mind dating Dana Tan despite the fact he'd never see her again, meaning this was the last thing he needed. The words came out of his mouth without thinking, his hand reaching forward, his mind needing a quick explanation of his appearance. "Cousin." That word squeaked out, possibly giving the wrong impression, but hopefully, this girl – who looked older than Dick, wasn't going to show up _that_ much. "I'm Dick's cousin, John Grayson."

With a slip of a tongue, he'd done exactly what he said he wouldn't do. The girl shoved the cookies forward, her words coming out almost as if she were a speedster, but not quite. He almost felt she wanted to ask why his arm was in a sling. "Um, these are for him. Got to go."

Megan watched her friend turn and hurry off, flying after her. Terry watched them leave. "Great." He headed into the kitchen. "So, is it alright if Dick spoils his appetite with some cookies some friends from school dropped off? It might cheer him up a bit?"

"Friends from school?"

"Someone named Megan Morse and Artemis Cook."

"Ah, Miss Artemis. She does have a habit of looking out for Grayson when some of the other students pick on him for being..." Alfred looked at the dish he was drying. "I think it's time you ask him about the Grayson family."

Terry flinched. "About that."

"I know you might not be comfortable with that, but..."

"No. I needed an alias quickly, so I said I was John when I said I wouldn't. The real reason I was hoping you'd let me give the cookies is I think I need to get on his good side."

"Then I'll tell you which room is his."

"No, I ran into him the night before when he was coming out of his room. And..." Terry smiled at the man. "Sorry for the trouble this is likely to cause."

Taking a deep breath, he headed up to Dick's room, knocking on the door. "Come in."

Terry opened the door. "I don't think..." His eyes narrowed. "Are you actually doing schoolwork with a concussion?" Dick hid the books behind his pillow. "I thought Doctor Thompson told you _not_ to do that of all things? Am I going to..." He let out a sigh. "This is what they meant by you not knowing your own limits, isn't it."

"You brought cookies." Dick sprung from the bed almost as if he were going to cartwheel towards Terry, stopping in his tracks, a huge grin on his face. "Yeah, she'd kill me if I did anything which would make my head move around a lot, so I'd better not summersault."

" _Okay. Worse than cartwheeling. What's with this kid._ " He cleared his throat. "Technically, your friends from school brought them. Megan and Artemis."

"Oh. Miss Martian and Artemis. I'd hoped they wouldn't, given the fact you were here." The smile didn't falter. Dick gracefully grabbed the cookies and plopped down onto the bed crossed legged. "Join me."

Terry narrowed his eyes. "First off, you're doing way too well for someone who I know is grieving..." He watched Dick's facial features falter and his hands shot up. "Look, if this is your way of dealing, to put on a mask, fine. I'd tell you it's okay to cry, but maybe that should wait until your concussion is not an issue anymore." He then lowered him. "However, I need to apologize."

"Seriously. I'm the one who should be apologizing for what happened last night. The way I acted..."

"No. I told them I was your cousin. You know, the one you freaked out about when you first saw my face." Terry's hands clenched. "They'd suggested it, and it was the first thing to pop into my head."

"That may be why they told you to use it."

Terry felt his blood run cold. "Aren't you going to be more upset?"

Dick set the plate of cookies in front of him, now unwrapped while speaking around a cookie. He started reaching for the schoolwork he'd hidden, only for Terry to hurry forward, snatching it away. "Yeah, no. Not allowed, but we're having a conversation."

"I wasn't trying to..." Dick let out a sigh. "If I don't keep busy I go nuts. But, I guess we do need to talk. I mean, you didn't know any of the dishes last night were..."

"You don't have to force yourself."

"That's not fair to you." Dick's mouth pushed together.

"Well, there's something else I want to be honest with you about, since I'm taking on the role of Batman, at least until you're ready, though..."

"Don't wanna be Batman."

"You said that much last night." Terry let out a sigh. "Look. We're partners, so I'm going to tell you I'm only sixteen, but I did a stint in juvi just before taking on the mantel of Batman." He watched Dick's robin blue eyes, something he was starting to become more comfortable about looking him in the eye. "Well?"

Dick removed his cookie from his mouth. "I got stuck in the juvi facilities after they all died, so I guess that's a good starting point."

"Wait? You?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I am a loose cannon." Dick leaned back on the palm of his hands. "Though, I get what you mean. It was because there was no room in the foster care system, which was when Bruce came in. Social services is a pain, so I guess this is where I bring up the fact the Flying Grayson family was a multi-generation family of trapeze artists for the circus. _That_ was my life before coming to live here, but we Grayson's love flying."

Terry thought back to what someone else said. "That's why I was told the suit was more likely designed for you than Bruce."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't get around Gotham using the Batmobile."

"You mean it lets you fly?"

"Yeah, you seem a bit too excited about flying."

Dick pushed his hands out, cracking his knuckles by pushing his hands out palm first. "Yeah, well, I don't remember a time I wasn't up on the trapeze, but even there I'm allowed to still fly. Bruce brought in gymnastics equipment for me, though it's honestly not the same."

"Oh. I've used that. He got pissed whenever I pulled off a quadruple summersault."

One of the younger teen's eyebrows lifted up in amusement, but he leaned back. "Well, not surprising."

"What do you mean. It took a bit of time to get to that point when I first started doing parkour. It kept me out of trouble, but I wouldn't have dared tell anyone – family or girlfriend about it, though I think my dad – Warren, the man who raised me suspected I went out and did that."

"Yeah. You're _definitely_ a Grayson, but if he suspected, he might have realized himself." Dick took a deep breath. "Look, technically John should be a name that belongs to you, given the fact I'm named after John's father and he's named after my dad. I'd like to think I'd have broken the tradition, but you know – who knows."

"Yeah, but pretending to be your dead cousin."

Dick pulled up his knees to his chest. "I admit, I don't like it."

"Wouldn't someone figure it out?"

"The circus is far away, but they're family and are more likely to realize it's there to protect me, though..." Dick seemed to become even smaller. "Uncle Rick would know you're not John."

"Where is he?"

"Where is he. I'd like to..." Dick shook his head, wincing. "Not time for my usual jokes. I'd offer you a cookie, but what I'm going to say, that needs to be said – I want to tell you before I do so."

"Tell me what."

"Could you bring me that stuffed elephant on the nightstand?"

Terry turned his head, now noticing the room contained a _lot_ of circus memorabilia, yet he'd chalked it up to Dick still being young if a bit eccentric. He reached for the elephant and brought it over to the boy. He watched Dick wrap his arms around the toy for comfort.

"That night – the event that led me to come and live here. Well, there was a man who blackmailed our ringmaster, but Haley wouldn't have anything to do with it. In the circus, if you back down to people like that, it can lead to disaster. He gave me this when I was born, so don't you think I hate him. Not when I saw something and could have said something."

"What happened?"

"The rigging was sabotaged and gave way during the final act when they did their final stunt. Every single one of them is in the cold earth except for Uncle Rick, but he..." Dick took a deep breath. "He's not a problem. On top of being paralyzed from the waist down, he's not yet woken from his coma. It's been five years now. People think it's been only four years since I started working with Batman, but it's actually five. He made me train for an entire year before he let me out on the streets."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yeah, well, you kind of did tell Artemis and Miss Martian you were my cousin already. I don't have actual friends at school, by the way, though they are friends on the team. Artemis is one of Green Arrow's protegee, while Miss Martian is – if you guessed it, Martian Manhunter's protegee."

"Please tell me she didn't get her name from that annoying show."

"Well, sort of. Her Martian name is similar, but I get what you mean. It is creepy."

"Wait. Artemis is actually someone you're going to run into more."

"Yeah, well..." Dick took a deep breath. "She's likely to blab what happened to Wally whose also on the team, so there's that. She's not per se a friend at school, though she doesn't hesitate to stand up for me when she sees some of the guys picking on me. Kind of makes things worse."

"Because you skipped multiple grades?"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Doctor Thomson."

"Well, sort of. On paper, I've only skipped one grade. Bruce spent an entire year getting me caught up to where someone my age should be, although in some regards he didn't need much work. Circus schools can be a bit haberdasher and all. Basically, you get what you get." Dick swallowed. "No. There's the fact I'm from the circus, but gypsy brat's a common one."

"I know that gypsy..."

"Don't use that word. Use Roma or Romani instead."

"I'm not following."

"I'm guessing you were going to say that Roma are typically associated with the circus."

"You mean the Romanian people?"

"Oh boy." Dick swallowed. "Roma and Romani are not the Romanian people, but gypsy is considered by many Roma to be a racial slur."

"What does..."

"The Grayson family is a Roma family, so them calling me gypsy brat isn't without merit, but if I wasn't I would likely tell them I wasn't gypsy. Though, technically I'm only half. My mother, she's an outsider. Don't know much about her family."

"Why..."

"It's your heritage. Those foods last night..."

"They looked..." Terry grimaced, remembering the cabbage rolls. "I mean, it was good, but felt exotic."

"They're Romani foods. Well, technically the tradition is to take on foods and adapt them as we travel in different areas, but – yeah. That was Romani food last night. Well, sort of. Alfred worked very hard with me taste testing to try and get the food close to how I remember it being."

"You're starting to ramble."

"I'm not."

"Yeah, you are. You didn't have to tell me all of that, all at once you know." Terry let out a sigh, before flopping onto the foot of the bed, folding his arms behind his head.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you follow the doctor's advice."

"Shouldn't you be out patrolling."

"I want to be out patrolling as I'm quite restless, but I'm also under doctor's orders." He then said, "We'll get through this, okay?"

"I guess."

A gust of wind blew in. Terry's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the red-haired speedster and let out a groan, wondering _how_ he'd managed to get through his new life as Wally said, "Cookies!"

  
  



End file.
